My Little Brother
by heyits.reagan
Summary: "What do you think you're doing?" "Exactly what you couldn't. If you're not strong enough to do what must be done, maybe someone else should be in control of the robot." The Walkers are strong. Unfortunately, Ryan's family is stronger.
1. one

"Cassie P streaming live on the first day of Bay City High's reopening!" Cassie Park beams into her camera, holding her phone in front of her face and tilting it back so the school was in view. "It's been four months since the school was destroyed and Mech X4 saved the city! Officials still have yet to locate Seth Harper, the supposed mastermind behind the monster attacks. Mech X4 has disappeared, as well. Do I miss the monsters? No, definitely not. Do I miss Mech X4? Well…"

I want to smile as I walk past Cassie. I want to be happy that things are finally going back to normal, but I can't find it in me. Mark is already gone, swallowed by his group of jocks that cheer the second he walks into a room. I spot Harris standing beside the front doors, talking to Veracity and a few other people I recognized from the Harper Grant Science Fair a few months ago. We make eye contact and Harris smiles and waves at me, but that's it. That's all it's been for two weeks now.

Inside, I see Spyder in the office. I want to laugh because _of course_ he'd already be in trouble. But then a man who I've never seen before steps into view, a warm smile on his face as he hands a paper to Spyder. I decide to linger outside the door and wait to question Spyder about it. He's startled for a moment when he sees me, then he smiles.

"Hey bro, what's up?" he asks as we begin down the hallway.

"Nothing really. Who were you talking to and what's that?" I question, looking down at the paper.

"That," Spyder grins, "was the new _mixed martial arts_ teacher and _I'm_ in his first class."

"Mixed martial arts?"

"Yeah, yeah! I have a lot of time on my hands now and I learned that fighting people is _awesome_."

"That's… Great. You better still have time to hangout at the skate park, though. I have a sick new move I want to try out."

"For sure, dude! I'll be there after school!" We go our separate ways then, me to my locker and him to whatever class he has first period. The halls are buzzing around me, my classmates prepping for basketball games and new movies coming out this weekend. Not one person is talking about Mech X4. I guess we've become old news now.

Someone runs into me. Our shoulders collide and I wince. The boy falls to the ground, binders and papers scattering across the floor. He mumbles under his breath, drops to his knees, and begins gathering his things. I step around him, scooping the loose papers into my hands and walk back to him.

"Sorry about that," I say, kneeling next to him. "I should've been watching where I was going."

He looks up at me and fixes his glasses. He looks mixed, no older than myself. His black hair is short and curly and his brown eyes are huge and afraid. He gasps like the wind's been knocked out of him and he freezes.

"Um…" I look around, unsure of what to do.

"Are you… R-Ryan Walker?" he asks tentatively.

Warning bells sound in my head. I lean back and push away from him a bit. In my experience, it's best to be cautious of _everyone_ , especially strangers who know your name.

"Who wants to know?" I demand a little harsher than I intend. He catches my tone and lowers his eyes.

"Um, well, I can't really explain right now. It's just that I've been wanting to meet you for so long and-"

I cut him off, "Look, I don't know who you are or what you want…" I glance around at the people walking around us, "but trust me, I'm not someone to mess with." With that, I lay the papers in front of him and continue to my locker. In my head, I know that was rude. The poor kid didn't look like any kind of threat to _anybody_ , much less me. Still, I can't help any of it. Everything that happened with Harper changed us, all of us.

The boy's in my first period. He across from me and shoots a nervous side glance in my direction. Harris is beside me, scribbling something down on a piece of notebook paper. The boy is still watching me, I can feel it.

"Hey, Harris," I say, the silence and the staring becoming uncomfortable.

"Hey," Harris repeats, not looking up from his paper.

"Whatcha workin on?"

"A new design Veracity and I are working on." He smiles at me. "We're entering this competition to win the chance to attend an elite space science camp in the summer! How _cool_ is that?"

My smile drops a little. "You guys have got those spots for sure, dude."

Nervously, Harris knocks on his desk. "Don't jinx it! This camp is _huge_ if I ever want to get into an Ivy League school."

"Well, don't knock on the desk, then. That's plastic, not wood," the boy from earlier advises.

Harris knocks his forehead. "Knocking on a virgin's head is my last resort, I guess. Thanks, um…"

"Reuben," the boy answers. He looks at me and smiles, almost hopefully. "My name is Reuben."

I look away. Was he expecting his name to mean something to me? Harris frowns; he noticed it, too.

"So, I guess everyone's got their own things now. Did you hear Spyder's joining a mixed martial arts team?" I say.

"Not surprised, really. I think it'll be a good outlet for any, er, destructive tendencies he might have." Harris looked at him. "Have you also got your own thing?"

I open and close my mouth a few times, trying to think of a good response. Thankfully, the bell rings just as Spyder walks through the door. The class quiets and I turn away from Harris, hoping he'll forget about this whole thing.

"Morning, teach. Miss me?" Spyder asks, leaning on the teacher's desk with a smirk.

The teacher narrows her eyes. "Not in the slightest. Sit down before you get the first detention of the returning year."

Spyder snickers and walks back to his seat in front of me. He turns to look at Harris and me. With a scowl, he admits, "I really didn't miss her."

Class is mostly filled with note taking and the teacher speaking. When the bell rings, Harris, Spyder, and I split up. I nod to them and leave, hoping to get away from that new kid as quick as possible. I don't see him around me, so I sigh in relief and walk to my next class.

The hallways are filled with kids chatting about one thing or another. I spy Mark with a few of his varsity friends walking toward me, laughing at something. Someone shouts at Mark and the two fist bump each other as they pass. Mark's crew passes me and we don't even look at each other. I stop and watch my brother walk on, completely engulfed in his own world.

It's weird how quickly things have reverted back to normal. Mark and I don't speak to each other in school anymore. There's a basketball game tomorrow night. Drama club rehearsal today at four. They're serving chicken tenders in the cafeteria today.

You'd never know this school was completely demolished four months ago.

You'd never know this city was the source of the almost end of the world.

At lunch, I take my food outside. It's sunny and warm, so most of the kids in my lunch are out here with me. I sit in the shade at the table furthest from the door. Spyder and Harris also have this lunch, but I'm not sure where they're at. I watch the doors every few seconds between eating and playing on my phone, waiting for my friends to arrive.

I send a quick text to Leo, saying I would be by after school. With Harper gone, Leo decided to take over Harper Futuristics. He might've performed some illegal work by hacking into the computer database and changing all ownership into his name, but it's worth it. Whatever dangerous weapons Harper might've been possessing under that roof is now Leo's property. It's safer this way, even if Harris wasn't completely on board with it at first.

Spyder and Harris walk outside together and head to my table. I watch Harris glance briefly to his right at a group of science nerds, but he shakes his head and looks away. Spyder sits in front of me and I toss my milk onto his tray.

"So," Harris begins, sitting next to Spyder, "what was the deal with that kid in our first period?"

"You mean Reuben?" I ask, ripping open my bag of BBQ sauce. "No idea."

"He kept looking back at you during class. If I didn't know any better, I'd say he has a crush on you," Spyder admits, raising an eyebrow knowingly.

I roll my eyes. "Shut up."

"But real talk here, he kinda looks like you," Harris points out, twisting around to look at the boy in question, leaning against a tree with his phone in his hands. "You really don't know anything about him?"

"I know he ran into me in the hall and knew my name, but I stopped talking to him after that."

"That's freaky, dude," Spyder says. I nod in agreement. "If you really want to know who he is, you can always take a look at his phone…"

"Bad idea," Harris protests, pointing a finger at Ryan. "That's invasion of privacy and-"

"He's just texting his mom," I inform, cutting Harris off.

"You can't just tap into people's phones like that!"

"What else am I going to use my powers for?" Harris falls silent. Neither have a good answer, so I continue, "Without monsters to fight, the robot isn't needed and I'm as helpful as any other average high school kid. I'm _bored_ , what do you expect me to do?"

"Are you saying you _want_ Harper and his monsters back?" Harris asks in disbelief.

"Of course not! But you have to admit, being normal is a drag."

"Normally, I'd agree," Spyder admits, "but I actually like this time off. I have so much free time; I'll be a black belt before you can say _hi-yah_!"

"Me too. I've been working nonstop with Veracity on our entry invention for that competition I was telling you about. The deadline is this Friday and we still have a lot to do."

I stare at the food on my tray. It's colorless and boring, much like my new life. "Well, I'm glad you guys have found new hobbies. Seems like you all three moved on pretty quick."

Harris frowns. He says, "C'mon, you can't get mad at us because we're not focused on something that happened months ago. Life keeps going, Ryan. Everyone has to move on eventually."

"I know." I stand and grab my back. They're watching me carefully, but I don't meet their eyes. I grab my tray and mutter, "I just didn't think you guys would move on without me."

As I walk back into the school, I keep my eyes down. Mark also my lunch, so I know he's somewhere. Although he acts like we don't know each other in school, I know he'll question me later if he thinks something's wrong. I don't know where he is at the moment, but all I have to do is make it into the hall.

 _Great first day back_ , I think bitterly as I walk to my locker. _I hope tomorrow is at least a little better._

Looking back now, I laugh at my poor naive nature. The first day might've been rough, but the second was what _really_ changed my life.


	2. two

Before I start, I want to say something really super quick. I was rewatching the season finale (I already miss them, can season 2 already? :() and I noticed something odd.

Did anybody notice the parallels between the first and last episodes? In the first, Ryan was trying to get Mark back for pranking him by controlling the dump truck to spill on varsity. Harris was against it and Spyder said something along the lines of "He makes a good point, but hear me out: _Do it_." And then in the last episode, when (SPOILERS) Grace has the remote for the missile, Ryan and Seth try to talk to her. Seth has become Spyder in this situation, Ryan is Harris, and Grace is Ryan. Seth nearly quotes Spyder exactly: "He makes a very good point, but here's mine: _Do it_!"

I don't know, I just thought that was interesting. I tried to think of the symbolism behind that, but I couldn't come up with anything. I don't think there's anything there, but if you have an idea feel free to tell me! Please leave a review, I crave the feedback! :D

* * *

Reuben isn't in school the next day. Harris is the first to notice and Spyder teases that my secret admirer is missing. I roll my eyes at that. As the teacher begins writing problems on the board, I ask Spyder how his martial arts class was.

"Hard," he answers. "We had to _exercise_ and junk. I can barely _walk_."

"Wow, I never imagined a fighting class would require _effort_ ," Harris says sarcastically. I snicker.

"It's a lot more hardcore than I was expecting, but I'm gonna be a master fighter, just you wait!"

"When are you gonna use karate in real life?"

"I wouldn't expect somebody who managed to knock himself out during a fight to understand."

Harris is getting frustrated. He purses his lips, "I'd never used that before. Besides, at least I _tried_. You used the bounce belt!"

"Okay, but I beat both of you," I interrupt, grinning at them.

"You don't count Mr. Technopath," Spyder argues.

"Yeah," Harris agrees. A girl in front of Spyder turns to us, mouth pressed in a thin line and eyes narrowed.

"What's a Technopath?" she questions. Harris, Spyder, and I exchange looks.

Harris explains, "A character in a computer game we play."  
She scoffs. "Nerds. Be quiet!"

"Sheesh. Cool it, Angry Abby," Spyder snickers.

"My name is Samantha, you dweeb."

Spyder grins. "…Sassy Samantha?" Samantha's hand shoots in the air. Quickly, Spyder tries to stop her, "I'm sorry, don't tell on me, I really don't need a detention this week."

Just as Samantha is called upon, the class's intercom cuts them off.

"Mrs. Applegate?" the school secretary asks. The class answers in a mumbled unison. "I need Ryan Walker, he's leaving."

Everyone in the class turns to look at me. I frown and begin to gather my things.

"Where are you going?" Harris asks.

"Um… I dunno. I didn't know I was leaving today."

Spyder raises his eyebrows. "That's weird, dude."

"I know…"

"Don't get killed," Harris calls as I walk to the door.

"I'll try," I laugh.

To my surprise, Reuben is in the office. He beams when he sees me. I grab the door handle and start to walk back out into the hall, but he stops me.

"Wait! Why don't you like me?" he asks. I refrain from rolling my eyes and turn to him.

"I don't like people who I don't know but they know me. It's kinda suspicious, huh?"

"I… Well yeah, I guess…"

"Please don't tell me you're the reason I was called out of class."

"I'm part of the reason. The rest of it is in the principal's office. "

" _Of course_."

"What?"

"Nothing, let's go."

We walk next door to Principal Gray's old room. The school board has been interviewing people to replace her, but no one's hired yet. Everything is still in tact; nobody has touched it. I wonder what people think happened to her.

Sitting in the two chairs in front of the desk are a man and a woman. They are talking about the school and how nice the secretary had been. When the door shuts behind us, they turn around.

The woman stares. Her eyes widen and her mouth falls open. The man rises to his feet and turns toward me. He's wearing dark sunglasses and is carrying a metal rod. I rock on my heels, the attention becoming uncomfortable.

"Mom, dad," Reuben begins, standing between us, "this is Ryan."

I force a smile. "Yep, that's me… And I'd like to know who you all are before I do something I might regret."

"What makes you think we're the bad guys?" Reuben demands, crossing his arms over his chest.

"He sounds paranoid," the man explains. I narrowed my eyes. Who's he to decide how I'm feeling?

"Like father, like son," the woman adds, smiling at her husband.

I frown. My heart stops. As I try to speak, my mouth is dry. I stutter, "F-Father? Wait, are you saying that he's my d-dad?"

The woman steps forward. She grabs my shoulder and I don't flinch away like I thought I would. She smiles at me and something triggers in my brain. Familiarity warms my heart.

"I am Destiny Brown," she begins, her voice sweet like honey, "and this is my husband, Alec." Alec smiles warmly at me. Destiny continues, "We're your parents… Your birth parents."

The world seems to stop.

Words cannot describe how I feel in this moment. I stand there, paralyzed. The thoughts I try to form in my head don't make sense. The people in front of me look so real, but I can't bring myself to believe it. I can't bring myself to believe that I'm actually staring at my _parents_. My full blood parents who gave birth to me and held me in the hospital the first time and gave me a name and… And… How is this _real_? How is this happening?

"We've spoken to your mom," Alec says, "and she's given us permission to steal you away for the day. If it's all right with you, we'd like to get to know you."

"How do I know you're who you say you are?" I ask carefully.

"I figured you might ask. We have all the proof you need in the car," Alec explains. "And if you're really our son, you have the greatest defense here, so you have nothing to worry about."

He's talking about my powers, he must be. How do they know I have powers? I only just discovered them a few months ago. I narrow my eyes and look over each person. Even if they're who they say they are, I can't let my guard down. I won't make the same mistake twice.

"Okay," I say, meeting Destiny's eyes, "let's get going then."

•••••

If their plan is to kill me, they have a perfect opportunity. Destiny suggested we go to an outlet mall a few miles up the road in a town I've heard of, but never been to. My cell phone signal is wavering dangerously. Sometimes I'm connected and sometimes I'm not. I get a bit more anxious with every bar that disappears and reappears.

Reuben and I are sitting in the backseat, looking through a box of pictures and documents. There are photographs of me when I was six months old and others where I've just turned a year. As I look through it all, I can't help but think of how surreal this all is. I spent a year of my life with a different family and I didn't even know it, yet I've spent the majority of my life with a family I'm not even related to.

When did my life turn into a drama series?

"So how did you all find me?" I ask, neatly placing the objects back in the box. Destiny looks at me through the rearview mirror.

"Reuben actually tracked you down," she explains.

"Took a lot of research and time, but I did it," Reuben proudly claims. "I'm kind of a genius when it comes to computers."

Could he possibly be a Technopath, too?

"How is the family who adopted you? Are they nice people?" Alec questions.

"Oh yeah, they're amazing. My older brother Mark has an ego the size of California, but he's a good guy. He's your typical jock with the talent for sports and the popularity, but he's also insanely smart. He can fix anything."

"Anything?" Reuben challenges doubtfully.

I smile. " _Anything_."

"He sounds fascinating," Destiny smiles.

"Yeah. My mom is incredible, as you already know. You said you talked to her?"

The adults look at each other before Destiny turns back to me. "Yes, she was a very kind woman."

"What about your father?" Alec wonders. He chuckles, "I'm only asking to see what kind of competition I have."

"He's a good man, but I don't live with him. My parents divorced a few years ago and I only see him every other weekend."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Alec says.

"Don't be, I was a kid. Like I said, I still see him."

"Well," Destiny begins, pulling into the parking lot, "it looks like we're here! Now, we were in here earlier and I saw a pair of shoes I really wanted, but I'm sure you boys don't want to go shoe shopping. So, how about we meet at that cafe," she points to a building with a blue roof, "in about an hour for brunch?"

"Sounds good, mom," Reuben answers, smiling. "There's a store here where they let you try out the video games. You play?"

I scoff, a smile on my lips. "Not only do I play, but I'm _amazing_."

"I think you've been hanging around your brother too much." I laugh. Destiny parks the car right outside of the cafe and we climb out. Reuben and I get a head start as we continue talking about different games. I look over my shoulder at his–our?–parents. They're standing in one place, hands intertwined at their sides as they watch us walk away. They're smiling. I can't help but smile back.

The video game store is dead. I guess I should've expected it, seeing as we're probably the only teens out of school right now. Behind the counter is an older man, maybe thirty, flipping through a magazine. He glances at us when the doorbell rings, but doesn't make any attempt to greet us. Reuben pulls me to a flat screen on the wall and hands me a game controller.

"Hey, I have this at home," I realize, watching the game titles roll across the screen. "My mom's ex boyfriend created it."

"Your mom dated _Seth Harper_?" Reuben asks, his eyes wide and his voice ringing with shock.

"Yeah… It didn't end well."

"What happened?"

I chew on my lip. "They just had different… _Opinions_ on a lot of stuff. I don't want to get into it."

"Right, I understand. So, how are you feeling so far? I mean, meeting your birth family must be insane. I can't even imagine it."

The game goes black for a moment before it reappears as a split screen. Our characters are in a dystopian setting and our goal is to get to the mothership.

"You're right, it's pretty insane. But it's also relieving, you know? I've been wanting to meet you guys for so long. I thought I was just meeting my parents but now I have a brother. By the way, which of us is older?"

Rueben sighs. "You beat me by one minute."

"No way, we're twins? I have a twin?"

"Yep, but not identical. I was hoping we could do the old switch-a-roo at school sometime."

I smile. "That would be cool, I've always wanted to do that."

"Me too!"

My character and Reuben's meet on the battlefield. He leads the way to the mothership, shooting down aliens left and right. I run close behind him, taking down any attackers he misses.

"Where have you guys been all this time?" I ask, slicing the head off a monster.

"On a farm in Idaho."

I glance at him. "That's your hideout?"

Reuben looks back at me. Slowly, he nods. "I wasn't sure how much you knew."

"I know Destiny and Alec went into hiding shortly after I, uh, _we_ were born."

"Do you know who they were hiding from?" Reuben asks. At first I wonder if he's asking because he doesn't know, but his tone is wrong for that. He's asking as a matter of fact, like he's testing my knowledge.

"I do," I confirm, "and I know that he's gone now, so you guys can come out of hiding. Or, well, if you're still in hiding. I guess you wouldn't be here if you were though, huh?"

"Not necessarily." Reuben breaks down the door to the mothership. The music has stopped and everything is silent. I wonder what my character would feel if he were real. I wonder if his heart would be pounding right now, so loud that it's in his ears. I wonder if the gun would be trembling in his grasp as he creeps through the seemingly empty alien ship. Is he afraid of who he'll find? Does he believe he'll win? I know if I were in his shoes, I'd be _petrified_.

"We came here in secret. Our hotel is booked under a different name. Our car is a rental my dad picked up a few minutes from our house. They weren't on board at first, but I knew it was only a matter of time. They wanted to meet their son as much as I wanted to meet my brother."

I smile. "Now that we've met, what do you think? Am I what you were expecting?"

Reuben sighs loudly. "Well, you were a bit ruder than I was expecting."

"For good reason, I swear. I had to make sure you weren't trying to kill me."

"Why would I be trying to kill you?"

I glance behind him at the worker, who is still flipping through his magazine. Quietly, I explain, "The man who drove you guys into hiding is the same man who tried to kill me a few months ago. Alec's right, I'm paranoid."

"But at least you took care of him, right? He's gone."

"Right."

We reach the heart of the mothership. As more aliens begin to storm the place, I rush to the captain's chair. However, Reuben beats me to it. He takes control of the ship, leaving me to fight the aliens.

"Hey!" I cry in protest.

Reuben snickers. "Gotta be faster than that, bro."

When we're safely from the planet, the demo ends and the screen reverts back to the main menu. Reuben sighs, "Bummer, I was really getting into that."

"Game's over, boys. Now, either buy something or leave," the store clerk snaps, startling us. We turn to him as he's walking around the counter. "I can't let my boss see a couple of hood rats using the merchandise with intentions of not buying anything."

Reuben looks over at me. " _Hood rats_?"

"We were just trying the game out, sir. No need to get so defensive," I state calmly.

"Well now that you've tried it, you gonna buy it? Cause if not, _scram_!"

Reuben narrows his eyes. "Whatever happened to keeping the customer happy?"

The man smiles bitterly. "A customer is an adult with money. You're a child still going through puberty. In fact, you're lucky I don't call the police for truancy!"

I grab Reuben's arm. "C'mon, let's just go." As we turn to leave, Reuben stops. I look back at him just as his eyes flash a bright shade of blue. The game machine begins to smoke and the TV cuts out. I jump away as sparks shoot out of the outlet behind the system.

"Yeah," Reuben agrees, "let's go. This stuff's broken, anyways."

I drag him outside and three doors down. When we're far enough away, I turn to him. "You're a _Technopath_?!" I ask, eyes wide.

His eyes widen, too. "Are you _not_ a Technopath? Oh man, uh, y-you didn't see what you thought you did, um-"

"If I wasn't a Technopath, how would I know the word?"

"Uh, well, um… Good point."

"I can't believe there's another Technopath! I thought I was the only one."

He shrugs. "I always assumed that you were just like me since we're twins and all."

I can hear an angered shout in the distance from the shop we just fled from. The boss must've shown up and seen the damage. Guilt burns in my stomach as I look back at Reuben.

"Why'd you destroy the TV and stuff back there? That guy's probably going to get fired."

"You heard how he was treating us! He deserved it."

"I don't think he did but… Your intentions were good, I guess."

Reuben rubbed the back of his neck. "Sorry. I, um, I don't usually use my powers for that kinda stuff."

"What _do_ you use them for?"

"Harmless stuff. Changing my grades, reseting the school clocks so class ends ten minutes earlier than normal, things like that. What do _you_ do?"

 _Fight monsters and save the world_. "Um just… Unblock TV shows and prank my brother." I smile to try and hide my lie. Well, I guess it's not necessarily a lie, but it's not the whole truth.

"We should probably start heading back, I'm getting hungry."

"Right… Hey, um, is your dad's-"

"Our dad," he corrects."

"Yeah, is _our_ dad's eyes, um, I mean, is he-"

"He's blind, if that's what you're wondering."

"How'd he lose his sight?"

Reuben sighs. "They never told me, but I know it happened when they were on the run just after we were born. Mom has scars she's scared to talk about, too."

I clench my fists. "But they're safe now. You all are."

He smiles. "Maybe now we can really start to be a family!"

"Sure, bro. That sounds like a plan."


	3. three

Rueben's the first inside the hotel room. The sun is low in the sky and soft rays of light shine through the windows. Ryan was just dropped off at his home. Rueben wonders if his mom will be mad that he's late getting home.

He can hear his parents down the hall. Alec is complaining about all the stairs and the lack of elevators. Rueben sits on his bed and stares into space, his parents' voices filling his head.

His father is a kind man. He's always cracking jokes, but ready to talk if you need it. At first glance, you can't tell he's blind. You can suspect it as he feels his surroundings with his cane and hides his eyes behind those dark sunglasses, but he's physical appearance doesn't set anything off. There's nothing about his almost nonexistant black hair and matching stubble across his cheeks that gives any indication that he's disabled.

Alec isn't a man who deserves to be blind. No one deserves it, of course, but Alec especially. Rueben tightens the comforter in his fists. His father shouldn't be blind. Their family shouldn't be split up and missing a piece. That man shouldn't have ever messed with his family.

Destiny smiles at Rueben when they finally reach the room. There are scars scratched around her face; one across her eyebrow, one beneath her eye, and one along her jawline. She looks as though she lost a battle with a devilish kitten. There are more along her arms and down her legs. They stick out like a sore thumb, raw skin that rises above the unscathed and never fades, even fourteen years later. Rueben tried asking once where they came from. Destiny left the room without another word.

"What do we do now?" Rueben asks curiously. Alec finds his way to the other bed and collapses on it, sighing loudly. Destiny opens the mini fridge and grabs a bottle of water.

"What do you mean?" she asks, cracking open the drink.

"Well, we found Ryan. When are we going to bring him home?"

Destiny looks over at Alec. She knows he can't see her, can't speak to her through his eyes like he once could, but still she looks at him. She finds comfort in looking at him for answers, even if she knows she'll never receive them like that.

Alec still saves her, though, "We just met him, kiddo. Let's give him a few days to settle down."

Destiny twists her marriage ring around her finger. "Besides, bringing him home is easier said than done. I'll be willing to bet his mom isn't going to let him go so easily, especially since we didn't actually contact her before we took him today."

"What?" Rueben gasps. "But you said-"

"We didn't have time to go visit his mom first. This city is dangerous. We're here to save Ryan, yes, but we have to do it carefully. One wrong move and we could lose him forever," she sighs, looking at her son sadly.

Rueben looks between his parents. They're tired, he can tell. As his mom pulls her short black hair into a ponytail that only really holds a section of her hair, he can tell she's exhausted. He's seen first hand what being in hiding does to someone. He was never told why they were constantly looking over their shoulders, but he didn't need to be. His parents are scared even now, even fourteen years later. They're paranoid and cautious, and his life has never been normal because of it.

He walks to the window. Their hotel is on the outskirts of town, so their room shows only the lights of the city. It's gorgeous, he has to admit. Maybe in another world, he would've grown up in Bay City. Maybe in another world, his family wouldn't have to constantly live in fear.

Unfortunately, they live in this world. That's why he similarities between Rueben and his parents' intentions in Bay City end with finding Ryan. Rueben wanted to find his brother, yes, but he also wanted much more. Ryan says the bad guy is gone, but Rueben knows he's lying. On a website, Rueben found the name of the man he despises more than anything else in the entire world.

That's why Rueben is here for much more than Ryan. He's here for _Leo Mendel_.

•••••

It's four o'clock when I get home. We stopped at a pet store on the way back, then Rueben wanted ice cream. Time sort of got away from us and I ended up getting back just as the sun was setting. Mom's car is in the driveway, along with Mark's temporary pickup truck. Until he can buy a new car, he's stuck with a rusty green truck in desperate need of some TLC.

They're both in the kitchen and everything's silent. I approach the room slowly, wondering if I'm at the edge of a fight or some family drama with our second cousin or something. Mark is behind the counter, eating from a bag of chips. Mom is leaning against the couch, arms crossed over her chest. Both look distressed, but Mark is also tired while Mom is worried.

When they hear me, they stare. Mark sighs and rolls his eyes. Mom storms at me, eyes narrowed and accusing finger already in my face.

"Where on earth have you been?!" she demands, stopping a few feet away.

I frown. "What do you mean? You know where I was."

Mom and Mark exchange looks. Mom continues, "Your brother tells me you weren't at school today at all."

"Spyder and Harris told me you left in first period," Mark adds.

"So where were you?" Mom finishes.

I look between the two once, then again to make sure I'm hearing this right. "You don't… I thought they called you. They said they called you."

" _Who_?"

"My parents!"

The kitchen is silent again. Mark freezes, a chip just inches from his open mouth. Mom stops, her face morphing from anger to confusion.

Slowly, a bit hesitantly, I continue, "My birth parents. I met them today, they pulled me out of school. We went to an outlet mall in the next town over, then to a pet shop, then we got ice cream. It was crazy."

"I agree. It _is_ crazy that these two strangers think they can just walk into a school and take any kid they please! If that's not illegal, it should be. It's basically kidnapping!"

"No, Mom, it wasn't like that. They're kind people, all of them! I was skeptical too, but they showed me proof. They have pictures of me as a baby up until I was a year old. They have my birth certificate, too. They're my real parents."

Mom clicks her tongue. "I'm calling the police." She walks to her cell phone laying on the counter.

"No!" I start to follow her, but another idea comes to mind. I quickly kill the phone just as she turns it on. She mutters under her breath and starts for the house phone but I step in her way. "Mom, please. I'm fine, see? No breaks, no bruises, no nothing. I'm _fine_."

"I don't care how _fine_ you are, Ryan, these people have committed a crime and I demand they pay for it. Anyone who thinks they can just take one of my kids without my permission needs to be taught a lesson."

Mark interjects, "Mom, why don't you put that off for today? He's been through a lot and the last thing he needs is to be questioned by the police."

Mom looks from me to him. She looks terribly annoyed. "Fine," she agrees after a minute of silent glaring. "I'll call them tomorrow." Mom turns to me, taking a deep breath to calm herself down. "In the future Ryan, get a hold of me before you go running off with people you don't know."

I nod. "Right, got it Mom." Mark and I watch her walk upstairs. When I hear her bedroom door shut, I turn to Mark. "Thanks."

"No problem, bro." He folds the chip bag closed and turns to put it away. I sit on a stool in front of him and grin.

"Dude, you have to hear about-"

"Uh, sorry," Mark cuts me off, frowning as he looks at his phone and turns back to me, "Dane just texted. I'm supposed to go cliff diving with him and other guys from the team."

"Mom's letting you go cliff diving?"

Mark scoffs. "No way. As far as she knows, I'm bowling. Don't tell her?"

I sigh. "Yeah, okay."

"Sweet. When I get back, you can tell me all about what happened today. Later!" He grabs a black duffel bag from beside the back door and disappears outside, leaving me alone in the kitchen.

I drum my fingers on the counter, hum a song in my head, mess around with the lights. Used to, we'd be at Mech-X4 trying out Mark's repairs and gearing up for another monster attack. I miss the attacks, as bad as that may seem. I would love to have them back, just without everything else involving my family and Seth Harper. Back when it was just the four of us saving the city and helping people, I felt like I had a purpose in life. Like I was actually here for something. Now? I feel like every other kid in the crowd.

And I hate it.

•••••

Ryan: I didn't die in case you guys were wondering

Spyder: whoo!

Harris: So what happened?

Ryan: Can't explain over text. Wanna meet up?

Spyder: Srry just had a hard practice my legs are burning. Tomaro?

Harris: I can't today or tomorrow. Veracity and I only have three days to finish our project. Sorry Ry.

Ryan: No big deal. Wasn't very important anyways. I'll see you guys in school.

I turn my phone on silent and lay it on my bedside table. It's late now, a little past nine o'clock. Mark's not back yet and probably won't be for a few hours. Mom hasn't made a sound in a while, except to grab some food about an hour ago. She hasn't asked me about my day yet. I guess meeting my birth parents isn't a big a deal as I thought.

Even though I'm not tired, I force myself to sleep. Tomorrow I'll go talk to Leo about my parents, at least he might listen. Tomorrow I'll see both of my brothers again and I'll demand to know why Destiny and Alec lied about talking to Mom. I want to say I'll tell Harris and Spyder everything that happened tomorrow as well, but I have a feeling that won't happen.

I have a feeling that, along with my best friends, a lot of things are going to be changing.


	4. four

"Hey," I greet as I meet Spyder in the hall. He's laughing, probably something from the group he just departed from. They're all upperclassmen for the most part and don't spare a glance in my direction when Spyder nods at me.

"Sup," he replies, chuckling.

"What's so funny?"

"Just something one of the guys said."

I nod slowly. "Alright. You wanna go to the skate park today?"

Spyder chews on his lip. "Uh sorry, dude, but tonight we're all going to Blaine's for pizza and video games. Team bonding stuff, y'know."

"Oh. Right. Team bonding. That _is_ important." _I remember when we were a team once_. "That's fine because I just remembered I actually have my own plans anyways."

He frowns. "With who?"

"Um, Reuben."

"… That creep who kept staring at you in class?"

"Yeah. We hung out yesterday. Turns out we have quite a bit in common." I snicker.

Spyder shrugs. "If you think he's cool, then okay. Way to make a new friend, buddy." He pats my shoulder and walks into the classroom. I watch him sit across from Harris and begin to play on his phone.

Rueben's sitting in front of Harris, scanning the room. I nod to him and he beams at me. "Hey _bro_ ," he greets, smiling like he's got a secret to hide.

"Sup dude," I answer. Harris glances up at Rueben, then at me with a questioning stare.

"You two are friends?" he asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, well, I learned we're not as different as I thought," I explain with a shrug. Harris looks at Rueben again, who stares back innocently.

Shaking his head, Harris mumbles a quiet "okay" and goes back to whatever he's writing. And just like that, both of my best friends are consumed in their own worlds, completely forgetting the other is there.

The bell rings and everyone takes their seats. I look between my friends before meeting Rueben's eyes. He's grinning still and I'm admittedly a bit suspicious.

 _What?_ I mouth to him.

He holds up a finger and mouths, _Wait_. He turns to the front of his desk and listens as the teacher begins to speak. The teacher, a short old woman with a terrible attitude, announces a pop quiz. The class groans collectively as Mrs. Stein begins to pass out the test.

I watch Rueben carefully. His head turns to the right and the left, then up and down as though he's looking for something. As Mrs. Stein slams a paper onto the last kid's desk, she turns to address the class.

"You will have seven minutes and thirty seconds to complete this quiz. Go." The papers flip in unison and the classroom is silent. The quiz is a bundle of questions that I hardly remember from a few months earlier. I glare at the old woman. Who does she think she is, giving us a pop quiz on our third day of school?

Her computer catches my eye. It's flashing with different web browsers and typing on its own. I'm not doing that. My eyes drift to Rueben, who's staring straight ahead. There's a faint beep and I glance up at the projector. The ON light is blinking. I lay my pencil on the desk and lean back. What's he up to?

Before the picture is even visible on the screen, the Spongebob theme song blasts through the speakers. Some kids jump, others gasp. Mrs. Stein is so startled that she falls out of her chair. Spyder and some other teens dissolve in fits of laughter. My jaw drops as I chuckle in shock. Harris eyes the classroom, searching for the culprit.

Out of my peripheral vision, I know he's staring at me. I look over at him, not at all surprised to see the disappointment clear on Harris's face.

I roll my eyes. "C'mon, that was funny!"

"You could've given her a heart attack!" Harris argues. Spyder turns in his chair to face us.

"That was great, dude," he praises, giving me a high five. Rueben looks over his shoulder at me and I give him two thumbs up.

"What the he-" Mrs. Stein shouts, climbing back to her feet. She stumbles to her computer and slams her fingers on a few keys, but she can't turn it off. I decide to give the old woman a hand and shut it down myself. She stares at the blank screen and sighs, probably in relief.

"Alright," she begins, spinning around to face us, "who's the wise guy, eh?"

Rueben turns to look at me and I stare back at him. In unison, we break out into wide grins and for the first time, I can see why we're brothers.

•••••

They catch Leo just before he enters Harper Futuristics. He's bobbing his head as he listens to pop music through a pair of headphones. It's around eight in the morning, just early enough for the couple to sneak behind the building unnoticed. They'd been sitting in parking lot for an hour already, waiting for Leo.

He doesn't answer to their first three calls. It's not until Destiny grabs him by the arm does he become more alert. He swings his hands blindly, aiming to land a hit on his attacker and escape. She catches his wrist before he can land a punch.

Leo uses his free hand to push the headphones down to his neck. "Who are you?" he demands, jerking his hand free.

"I'm Destiny and that's Alec," Destiny explains, grabbing her husband's hand and tugging him over. "You really don't remember us?"

The young scientist stares. Slowly, an image forms in his head. It's a picture of a woman with Destiny's features, only younger and unscathed. Alec looks exactly the same, save for the dark sunglasses and a few extra pounds on his stomach.

"What are you doing here?" Leo asks, his eyes widening. "You're supposed to be gone, far away from here."

"We were… We are. Our home is in Idaho." Destiny sighs. "Rueben has been searching for Ryan for two years now. It was only a matter of time before he found Bay City."

Leo frowns. "Rueben?"

"Yes. Ryan's brother?"

"Oh… Right." Leo had no clue they had a second child. Hm. "Come inside; I don't feel safe talking about this here."

Destiny scoffs. "You want us to go inside a building named after Seth Harper?"

Leo nods and pulls open the back door. "I'm actually in control of this building now. Harper is gone."

"Gone?" Alec repeats. " _Gone_ , gone?"

"Yes. Mech-X4 defeated him." Leo nods toward the inside and leads the way to an elevator. The doors slide open immediately and the three adults step on.

"What's Mech-X4?" Destiny questions.

Leo smiles. "It's the project I was working on fourteen years ago. The reason I needed a Technopath."

"The Technopath… That's Ryan, isn't it?" Alec asks.

"Yes, Ryan's the chosen one after all."

Alec smiles. "My boy's a superhero." Leo smiles as well, but frowns when he remembers something.

"You said you had another son. Have you filled him in on everything? Why you went into hiding in the first place?"

Destiny sighs deeply. "Not exactly. We told him about you and how we all three worked together at some point."

"We told him there was an evil in the world that we were running from," Alec adds.

"And a few years ago, we don't him he has a brother, but we didn't tell him where." Destiny rubs her arms self consciously. "We've wanted to tell him the whole truth for years. I even came close once or twice, but every time I even think of Seth Harper I…" She swallows hard and stares at the ground. "I, um, get choked up and suddenly I'm back to the chases and the long nights of running through the forests trying to get away from him."

Leo stares at her, his face solemn. "I'm so sorry, Destiny."

Alec finds his wife's hand and grabs it tightly.

Destiny forces a smile. "Don't be. We signed up for it, didn't we? It was our choice."

The elevator dings and Leo nods. "Right. You're very brave and I can't thank you enough."

She gestures forward. "Shall we?"

Leo walks down a hallway and around a corner. There aren't many people in the offices when he passes, but the few that are wave and greet him. He smiles and nods in return.

"So what are you guys doing here, exactly?" he asks, pushing open the door to his office. It's a decent sized room with large windows overlooking the city, a wide desk, and a spinning cushioned chair. He loves that chair more than the office itself.

"Obviously, we came to meet Ryan," Alec explains.

"Not just that. We came to take Ryan home," Destiny adds. "I'd been monitoring Bay City over the past few years. I noticed Harper built his own company in the city, but I didn't care much. I figured you knew how to hide well enough that he couldn't find you. But when I learned Ryan lived here…"

Leo chews on his lip. "I understand your concern, but Harper's gone now. Besides, Ryan's done pretty well at taking care of himself. He got a grip on his powers remarkably fast."

"Be that as it may, how do we know Harper is really gone? He's a genius, Leo," Destiny stresses. "He could've faked his death and ran off until he can recover. I believe Ryan's still at risk here."

"It's not like he's some dog at a pet store you can just take home! He has a family here. I've met his mom and she's too scary of a woman to let her son go that easily."

"He's not _her_ son," Destiny cries. "He's _mine_!"

"Shh," Alec shushes, squeezing her hand. Destiny takes a deep breath.

"I'm willing to do whatever it takes to make our family whole again."

Leo sighs. "What will you do if _Ryan_ doesn't want to leave?"

She scoffs. "He's fourteen; he doesn't have a say in this."

The scientist raises an eyebrow. "You're proposing to take him away from everything and everybody he's ever known. If anybody should have a say in this, it's him."

Destiny clenches her jaw. "I was hoping you'd be on our side, Leo."

"Look, you two are great people, but you have to consider Ryan's feelings here. We're talking about a fourteen year old kid who has been through _so much_ in the past six months. And now, on top of everything else, he meets his _birth parents._ He needs time."

"We don't have _time_. Harper could be back any day."

"Then trust _me_ to protect him. Trust the family he's been with the past fourteen years. He's still alive, isn't he? Still healthy? Undamaged? He's safer here."

"We won't be leaving that easily."

"I wasn't expecting it."

Destiny huffs. "This isn't the last time we'll be having this conversation." Leo sits in his chair and pinches the bridge of his nose.

"I don't doubt it."

Leo watches the couple leave. He gazes around his office, taking in the pictures and posters still plastered across the walls from the previous owner. Then, he turns to the windows. The city is just awakening, the cars are just beginning to fill the streets. School buses are spotted across the roads, climbing hills and crossing intersections.

He knows Ryan is safer here. Even is Harper miraculously returns and Ryan decides going into hiding is the best idea, he'll always find his way back to Bay City. In the long run, the city really is the best place for him. Maybe one day, Destiny will realize that.

Leo just hopes it's before she convinces Ryan to leave with them.

•••••

Harris can't stop staring. It's weird, really weird. How did Ryan and that kid he never met before get so close over one day? It's like they're best friends, but that can't be right. Ryan already has two best friends. What does he need a third one for?

There has to be something off about him. Maybe he's using Ryan to get to Mark like the other boys in their grade? Nah, that kid doesn't look like the jock type. Maybe Spyder was onto something and that kid really _does_ have a crush on Ryan. Harris makes a face. _Let's destroy that thought right now._

Spyder looks at Ryan every now and then during lunch. Between the stories from his team and stuffing his face with food, Spyder glances at Ryan's table of two. Who _is_ that dude? He and Ryan kinda look alike. Same eyes, same smile. This kid has longer hair, though. And a bigger nose.

Ryan said earlier that they have plans later. Spyder can't help but wonder what they're doing. Are they best friends now? Has Ryan found a better, more fun person to hang out with? Spyder feels a pang of jealousy. He should be over there right now. He and Harris both should.

One of the guys mentions Spyder's name and Spyder is pulled back to his table. A story is told regarding Spyder and his roundhouse kick fail with the sensei the other day. Spyder laughs and explains it in full detail, missing the target and nearly kicking the instructor's face. His story ends with hearty laughs from his teammates that drown out the rest of the chatter from the room. Spyder looks around his table and grins.

Harris and Veracity glare at each other across the table. They're exchanging taunts, trying to one up the other. The rest of the table watches them in awe. The two pause, glowering at each other for a moment. Then, a smile tugs at Harris's lips and Veracity breaks her concentration. The two giggle and laugh while the rest of the nerds join in.

Ryan looks up from his tray of food. He takes in his surroundings, briefly observing every table. At Harris's, he and Veracity are chatting while the rest of the group plays on their phones or helps each other with homework. Harris is grinning about something and Veracity is giggling.

On the other end of the room, Spyder and his teammates are laughing so hard their faces are turning red. Spyder drops his chicken leg on his tray and covers his face with his hands, a gesture he only does when he laughs so hard he can't breathe. Ryan's seen it plenty of times at his house over the summers.

"You good?" Rueben asks, nudging Ryan's arm. Ryan looks over at his brother and nods.

"Yeah, of course."

Ryan's been through a lot of pain in the past few months with the monsters and nearly being killed on multiple occasions. However, none of that compares to the hurt he feels watching his best friends have fun without him.


	5. five

"My mom called the police on your parents," I inform Rueben after school. We sit at a picnic table in front of the school, waiting for our rides. The last bell rang fifteen minutes ago and already the parking lot is empty.

"What?" Rueben gasps. "She can't do that!"

"She's mad that complete strangers randomly took her kid out of school. By the way, why did your parents lie?" I look over at him. Rueben stares at the ground.

"My mom said there wasn't time to do the introductions and such. We can't stay here for very long, Ryan. This city is dangerous."

"Not anymore it's not. I told you, the bad guy is gone."

Rueben shakes his head. "I think you're confused about who the bad guy really is."

Destiny's car parks in front of the school. The side window rolls down and she calls to us. Rueben jumps off the table and looks back at me.

"The police can't find us. We're still in hiding, even now."

"If you're in hiding and this place is so dangerous, then why'd you come?" I demand, narrowing my eyes.

"To get you, idiot."

"To _get_ me?"

Rueben sighs. "I'll explain later. Meet me here at five!"

I watch him jump down the stairs and climb in the car with his mom. They take off after a brief exchange and Rueben waves at me. I wave halfheartedly back. What could he possibly be talking about?

It's not for another ten minutes that Mark finally emerges form the school. By now, I've already made the vice principal run to his car twice after flipping the alarm on and off. It was funny the first time, but even better the second as the man yelled a string of curse words to whoever was tipping his car off.

"Yo!" Mark shouts, waving at me. He doesn't even stop to speak, just continues walking toward his car. I grab my bag and jump off the table. He slows down just a bit for me to fall into step with him.

"Why do you always take so long to get out?" I whine. "I could've been halfway to Vegas by now!"

"No one said you had to wait on me! Why didn't you ask Spyder or Harris for a ride?" Mark asks.

Ahead of us, two boys walk toward a familiar car. They're talking and when one turns his head, my heart drops. It's Harris, and I know the other must be Spyder. Harris's mom's car is a few spots from Mark's. They watch us pass. I resist the urge to look at them for as long as possible, but I can't help it. I meet Spyder' gaze, then Harris.

I wave.

They wave back, but that's it. No smiles, no words, no nothing.

How did we fall so far in just a couple of days?

"What's going on with you guys?" Mark asks as we drive past them.

"High school," I mumble.

•••••

"You have an appointment tomorrow," Mom warns when we walk in the kitchen. Mark and I exchange looks.

"We just went to the dentist last month," he argues.

"Not that kind of appointment. Ryan, you're going to the police department to talk to the sheriff about whoever you were with the other day."

I sit at the table. "I don't want to do that, Mom."

"I know you're too young to understand this," she sighs, sitting next to me, "but these people are bad. You're lucky you made it home still in one piece."

Slowly, I shake my head. "No, I've met bad people. Destiny and Alec… They're not the bad people."

Mom crosses her arms over her chest. "What bad people have you met, exactly?"

I continue as though I never heard her, "I'm not talking to anyone about this. They haven't done any harm so far."

"These people took my baby boy out of school without my permission," she stresses. I can hear the desperation in her voice, along with the fear. She grabs my hand and sighs. "I need to see them. I need to see the people who think that's an okay thing to do."

"I wasn't kidnapped," I declare. "I could've gotten away at any time."

"Just because you consented to leaving with them doesn't make this okay."

Mark walks around the counter and sits across from me. He asks, "How do you know these people are who they say they are?"

"I saw the documents. My birth certificate and stuff, you know. I saw pictures of me when I was a year old in my dad's arms with my younger brother and mom beside me."

" _Brother_?" Mark repeats.

"Rueben. We're twins, but he's younger by a minute. I met him in school, he's the one I've been hanging out with the last couple of days."

I glance at the clock on the wall. _4:30_.

"I'll go to the police station tomorrow," I decide, rising to my feet, "but I won't promise anything."

"Where are you going?" Mom demands as I walk to the door. "Are you meeting Rueben right now?"

"No," I lie, turning to face her. "No, I'm meeting Harris. We have a, uh, project we're working on together."

"I want you home by eight," she orders. I blink. She's never given me a curfew before.

"Okay."

•••••

Rueben arrives right on time. I lean forward on my bike's handlebars, watching him ride across the concrete on a shiny moped. He stops a few feet away and smirks.

"Where'd you get that?" I ask as he shuts it down.

"Borrowed it from a store a few blocks from my hotel."

"You mean _stole_ it?"

Rueben shrugs. "I'll give it back later. So, where are we going?"

"Going? Nowhere. You said you'd explain everything at five, so here we are."

He looks around the vacant parking lot. "We shouldn't be talking in the open like this with no witnesses."

I roll my eyes. "For the last time, there's nothing dangerous about this city!"

"You're so naive."

"Fine." I push forward on my bike. "You want a safe place to talk? Follow me."

•••••

Leo leans back in his fancy chair, tilting his head back as he dangles a fork full of pasta over his mouth. His computer beeps, startling him. He drops the fork and the sauce smears against his shirt.

As he wipes the red stains on his shirt, he glances at his browsers. There's a separate software he's installed on his computers that help him monitor the robot. Although Harper is gone, Leo can't afford leaving the robot unguarded. The scanners haven't picked up on any activity in weeks, not since the three freshmen were there last November when Harris just entered his latest science competition.

Leo can see it on the screen. He almost dismisses it once he sees Ryan step into view. Just before he turns off the alarm, he freezes. Another boy steps into view, one he's never seen before. They're heading straight for the robot. Leo leans forward on his desk, eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"What are you up to, Ryan?" he whispers.

•••••

" _Whoa_."

Rueben spins in a circle slowly, taking in the control center. I smirk and lean against Harris's desk. Rueben looks at me, eyes wide.

"This is yours?" he asks.

"I piloted it, yeah. It's called Mech-X4."

"So. Cool." He walks to Spyder's station and sits in the chair. "What's this spot for?"

"Offense. Weapons and stuff. Over here is defense and up there is for the mechanic. He kept an eye on how we were doing during fights and repaired the damage done to the robot."

Rueben frowns. "You talk like this all happened in the past. Are you saying you and your team don't use this anymore?"

I shrug. "Like I've been saying since I met you, the bad guy's gone. There's not really any reason to use the robot anymore."

"Can we take it for a joyride?" he asks hopefully. I smile.

"I was hoping you'd say that."

He cheers and spins in his chair. I step onto the glowing circle in the front and the harness drops down. I feel nostalgic as I strap it around my waist. Takes me back to the first time I ever bonded with the robot. It also takes me back to every fight, every mistake, every enemy we've faced inside here. Chills run down my spine.

"So, how does this work?" Rueben asks, drawing me out of my reminiscing. "Do we yell some kind of magic word? Press random buttons?"

"It works when I reach out to it with my powers," I explain, flashing my eyes at the darkness in front of me. I can feel the robot reawakening, the energy running through my veins. Slowly, the lights flicker on and I can see the world outside again. I take a step forward, then another. My heart begins to speed up and my muscles feel warm. I jump and the thrusters help me skip over the entire junkyard. I find myself laughing because _god, did I miss this feeling_.

"This is awesome!" Rueben shouts. "Dude, you have your own robot! So cool, this is _so cool_!"

"This was my favorite place in the world once. My best friends, my brother… We all worked together as a team," I sigh, staring at the blue sky above.

"What changed?"

"I guess there wasn't anything to protect anymore. Nobody was threatening the earth, nothing was trying to destroy us. It all went back to normal."

"As normal as Bay City can get, huh?"

I look back at him. He's watching the world in front of us. When he notices we've stopped, he looks at me.

"Who's the bad guy, Rueben?"

"He's in that building down there."

Harper Futuristics is right in front of us. I sigh, "Just because it's named after Seth Harper doesn't mean Harper's still in there."

"I wasn't talking about Harper."

I repeat, only a bit more demanding, " _Who's the bad guy, Rueben_?"

Rueben takes a deep breath.

"Leo Mendel."

I laugh.

"Yeah right. Now really, who's the bad guy?"

My phone buzzes in my pocket. As Rueben falls silent, I check the message. Speak of the devil.

Leo: _What are you doing? People are wondering why Mech X4 is just standing outside the company._

"Leo Mendel is the reason my family has been in hiding for fourteen years."

I pocket my phone and free myself from the harness. Rueben doesn't look at me as he recalls something in his head. He continues, "He _experimented_ on our parents."

"He told me they volunteered."

"They wanted to help the world anyway they could. He brainwashed them into thinking that was the only way. And now look at us. My dad is _blind_. My mom has PTSD. I've never been in one place for more than a month. I just learned I have a brother a few years ago. Our lives have forever been _wrecked_ by that man."

"You haven't been told the whole story, then. You haven't heard about Seth Harper and his plan for a new world." I stand beside the desk and stare at him. I can tell he is purposely avoiding my gaze. "He threatened my friends, my family, me. He got close enough for us to trust him, just to turn around and betray us. Leo created this robot to stop Harper's plans for world destruction. _Seth Harper_ is the real villain here, not Leo. I bet if you ask your parents, they'd tell you the same."

"You're _wrong_!" He jumps to his feet. I take two steps back and he follows for one. "You haven't seen the damage I have. You haven't seen how my dad flinches when I touch his arm or how my mom is constantly looking over her shoulder when we walk down the street. There's a gun beneath the passenger seat in my mom's car that's always loaded and they're both always carrying pocket knives. They're always armed for a fight and they shouldn't be! You really think Leo doesn't have something to do with it? He's the reason my parents were dragged into this in the first place! We could've been a family. We could've lived normal lives!"

"If your p… If _our_ parents hadn't volunteered to help, we wouldn't have a world to live in. My friends and I were able to stop _Harper_ because our parents _chose_ to work with Leo."

He shakes his head slowly. "You've been brainwashed, too. Leo's got you under his spell. This is why we have to get you out of here, don't you see? We have to get you to a safe place away from Bay City. You don't belong here anyways. You can come live with us in Idaho. We can be a family again."

I walk back to the front and strap the harness around me once more. People stare up in wonder as I back away. Somewhere in that crowd, I'm sure Cassie Parks is covering the brief return of Mech-X4. I turn and take off as quickly as I can. Rueben has fallen silent behind me.

"I'm not going anywhere with you," I say as the junkyard comes into view. "Brothers or not, Bay City is my home. You can't take me away from here."

"We'll see," he hums.

•••••

It's midnight when he returns to the robot's hanger. He ducks under the scanner and climbs the old ferry. The door is left open. He sighs with relief.

The robot welcomes him with dim lights and silence. He walks the route the best he can remember. Down the hallway, take a left. No, right. Up the elevator. Boom, control center.

He walks forward, mind set on one target: The control pad. If Ryan can make this thing move with his powers, then so can he. Rueben stands in the center and flashes his eyes. Nothing. He tries again with more force. Nada.

"How did he do this?" he mutters, looking around. Maybe there's a button or a lever or something…

"Now," Rueben orders, trying again. "Go! Turn on! … Please?"

Nothing works.

He's about to give up.

 _No_. He can't do that. Not with Ryan on the _other_ team.

If Ryan won't listen to reason, then Rueben will have to do everything himself.

That determination sparks something in him. He straightens his back, squares his shoulders, and takes a deep breath. He wills every ounce of his energy into powering the robot. From his brain to his heart and down to his feet, he feel all of it. It's tiring and painful and he can't breathe.

Slowly, the lights flicker on. There's a relief in his chest and the pain is disappearing. He's not tired anymore. No, he's energized. The darkness in front of him morphs into a view of the outside world as the robot rises from its hanger. Above, the moon shines down on him. Rueben smiles.

He raises a hand to his face and the robot mimics his actions. Rueben makes a fist and smirks.

"Better watch out, Leo Mendel. Now, I've got your greatest weapon."

•••••

Mark wakes to the screaming. He's out of his bed before he can process what's going on. The only thing he knows for sure is that it's Ryan and that something's _wrong_.

Ryan is sitting upright in his bed, clutching his chest as his face twists in pain. Mark jumps on the bed in front of him and grabs his brother's shoulders. Ryan's crying and gasping for breath and struggling to spit out words.

"Ryan," Mark says. "Bro, what's wrong? What's happening? Ryan!"

Grace rushes in only a minute later. She climbs behind Ryan and pulls him into a hug, whispering soothing things in his ear. Ryan's phone rings on the bedside table. Mark answers and steps out of the room.

"What?" he snaps into the receiver.

"Mark? Wh-Where's Ryan?" Leo asks nervously on the other end.

"He's having some kind of panic attack or something right now, why?"

"There was a security breach at the robot a few minutes ago. Somebody broke in."

"Who was it?" Mark demands.

"I don't know! But Ryan's power signatures are no longer in the system."

"Which means _what_?" Mark pushes, glancing back into Ryan's room. His little brother seems to have calmed down some.

"The connection with the robot was severed. I'm afraid Ryan's no longer bonded to Mech-X4."


	6. six

I'm seeing a lot of reviews about how relatable this story is. I'm happy I'm writing a fic people can relate to, but I'm also sad that so many of you are going through/have gone through the pain of losing someone close to you. That's literally been my high school career, unfortunately (along with other stuff but ummm nvm). I just want you to know that I know it hurts right now, but you gotta stay positive. Think of it as a way of finding yourself. You're breaking away from the old and searching for the new you. It's hard, but it'll be all right in the end. I'm always here if anyone needs to talk :)

* * *

Friday morning brings the first snow of the new year.

I watch it from behind a window in the police station. The chief is glaring at me from his office across the hall. I stifle a snicker. The questioning didn't take but ten minutes. After I changed my mind about what color Destiny's hair was for the fourth time, the chief huffed in defeat and called the end of the session. I feel a bit of pride having known I managed to buy my parents at least a little more time.

Mom is sitting across from the chief in his office. They're discussing quietly and he glances in my direction every now and then. I wonder if he knows I lied. He's a police officer, so there's a good chance. I can't help but smile. _Oh well_.

A door slams to my left. I glance over, expecting to see another officer arriving for work. My heart skips a beat when I see it's Destiny and Alec. I jump to my feet as they walk toward me, arms linked and Destiny helping Alec around the unfamiliar office.

"What are you doing here?!" I demand quietly, hoping my mom won't hear.

"We're here to talk to your mother," Destiny explains. "Where is she?" She tries to walk past, but I step in front of her.

"I'm worried there will be a cat fight if you two meet face-to-face," I warn.

"Ryan?" Mom asks behind me. I sigh, my eyes dropping close in defeat.

"Grace Walker?" I hear Destiny say politely. I open my eyes once more and stumble out of the line of fire. I look between both my moms, anxiously waiting to see what will happen next.

Mom glances from me to my parents, then back to me. I can see she's putting the pieces together and she guesses, "It's you, isn't it? You're the ones who took my son."

Destiny winces and I frown. She slowly explains, "I'm sorry we didn't contact you first, but-"

"You're _sorry_?" Mom snaps. "You _kidnapped_ him!"

"I agreed to go!" I interject.

" _I don't care_!" Mom cries. "I don't care if you _agreed_ , Ryan! You're a child, you don't know _what_ you're agreeing to! They could've taken you away and I'd never see you again."

"Believe me, " I stress, "I can take care of myself."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

I open my mouth and close it again. They've fallen silent. I look from Mom to Destiny. This won't end anytime soon, that I'm sure of. I think back to what Rueben said yesterday, about what the three of them are really doing here. _To get me_. To take me back with them where it's "safe."

There's no way Mom will understand that. Not without…

I sigh.

"Can we talk somewhere else?" I ask, turning to look at the chief.

He blinks. "Uh, yeah. You can go in my office, if you want."

I nod and look back at Mom. "I think it's time we come clean… About everything."

•••••

"You're crazy."

Mom looks between the three of us. Her hands on her hips, she paces in front of the door. Alec sits in one of the chairs in front of the desk and I stand by the window in the back right corner. Destiny is in the corner beside me, arms crossed over her chest as she leans against the wall.

"This has to be some kind of prank, right? Ha ha, funny! You can stop playing around now!" she growls, shooting a glare at me.

I shake my head slowly. "This isn't a prank, Mom. Everything I just told you is true. Me having powers, Mech-X4 saying the world, how I found out I'm adopted… Everything."

Mom stops and turns to us. Her hands drop at her side and she sighs. "Why didn't you tell me sooner, Ryan?"

"I thought it was safer if you didn't know. If you did and Harper found out… Who knows what he would've done to get the answers he needed." I suppress a shudder. Just the thought makes my blood boil.

I meet her eyes. "Are you mad?"

She shakes her head. "I don't know what I am. We'll see later after I get done yelling at you and Mark for lying to me!"

Nervously, I chuckle. "Ah, there's the mom I know and love."

Destiny takes a deep breath and pushes off the wall. She takes a step forward into the light streaming through the window. I can see the scars across her shoulders peeking out from her T shirt. Some are narrow strings and others are blotchy patches of deep red stained across her skin. They look painful. I don't want to imagine how she obtained them.

"I'm very sorry for what we did a few days ago. I really didn't think we'd be in town for this long, so that's why we needed to rush things. We believe there is still evil in the city, which is why we've come all this way to find Ryan."

"Oh yeah," I say, remembering something. I turn to her. "Why do you guys hate Leo? I thought you were all on the same team once."

Alec frowns. "We still are, I thought."

"Rueben is under the impression that Leo is the enemy here and he's the one you guys are trying to protect me from."

Destiny raises her chin. "We never told him about Seth Harper. The memories were too painful to relive, so we kept that part of our lives a secret. The most he knows is that we worked with Leo earlier in our lives and that there is a villain somewhere in the world, which is why we're constantly in hiding."

I nod. "He says Leo tore apart our family by doing the experiments. I tried to tell him that you all volunteered and that, because of the experiments, I was able to save Bay City, but he didn't listen. He said I'd been brainwashed by Leo, and that's why you're all here. To take me to Idaho where I'll be safe, or whatever."

"You're not going anywhere!" Mom disagrees.

Destiny glances at her, then at me. "We'll talk to him and explain what really happened."

"Good. He has powers, just like me. I'm afraid what he's gonna do with them."

"Oh, I wouldn't worry too much. He's a good kid, wouldn't hurt a fly," Alec tries to reassure me. I bite by the information Mark told me last night and offer a kind smile instead. No need to worry them about a problem I can probably fix on my own.

Well, hopefully I can fix it on my own.

•••••

I sit alone at my lunch table, playing on my phone because my appetite isn't here. I don't know where Rueben is. He's not answering any of my texts. I guess that's good, though, because who knows what I'll do when I see him next.

Spyder sits across from me. I watch him lay out his milk and open his packets of ketchup to dribble on his fries. He starts talking like we haven't been drifting apart for the last week, "I totally failed that test last period. It's hard when Harris isn't next to me to copy off of."

I smile halfheartedly. "I wasn't there to take it."

"Yeah, I know. Both my best friends were MIA this morning. Well, Harris wasn't 'cause we all know where he is."

"How long's that supposed to last, anyways?" I ask, eyes scanning the cafeteria. I actually want Rueben to show up, just so I can punch him in the face because _how dare he_ -

"Dunno. Thought he'd be done by now." Spyder looks up at me. "Where were you earlier? I tried asking Mark, but he refused to answer."

I lay my phone on the table and sigh. "Well, I told the school I got sick last night and was still feeling bad when I got up this morning. Which, actually, wasn't entirely false."

He narrows his eyes. "What's up with you, dude? Why have you been so distant lately?"

I laugh because I really don't have the energy to get angry with him. " _Me_? I'm the one who's been trying to talk to you and Harris all week!"

"Oh, really? So that's why you went and found yourself a new guy to hang out with?"

"You seemed pretty okay with it yesterday when I told you we had hung out."

"I mean…" Spyder glances at his tray, then back at me. "Yeah, well, Harris and I felt bad cause we were doing our own thing and you were still…"

"Stuck in the past?" I offer.

"… Yeah. And like, I thought it was a good idea that you met someone new but-but you've only known this guy for a few days and suddenly it's like your best friends."

"Not anymore we're not," I mumble.

Spyder must not hear me. "Where _is_ he, by the way? Where's our replacement?"

"So I get _one_ new friend and he's a replacement but you guys get a whole new _crowd_ and it's perfectly okay? How does _that_ work?"

"Dude, I don't want to fight with you."

"Why not? I'm already in the fighting mood, so we might as well."

He frowns and chuckles a bit, almost nervously. "Who are you wanting to fight there, bud?"

I don't want to admit that my new "best friend" is the very person I want to push down a flight of stairs right now, but I feel like this is the only way I'll be able to talk to someone. Actually, that's a lie. I could go find Mark right now; this would be one of few times he wouldn't care if I dragged him away from his friends.

I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss Spyder, though. I miss them both, obviously, but Spyder is sitting here, right across from me. We've had fights before, nasty arguments that left us unspeaking for days at a time over the dumbest of things, but he's always been there when I needed him.

I know I should be giving him the cold shoulder and ignoring him because he's been doing that all week basically. He's been a jerk, honestly. They both have. I should tell him to bug off, say it's no big deal and try to make him jealous by saying I have plans with Rueben again.

That's what I'd like to have done all week. Maybe that's what I've been _trying_ to do all week.

He stares expectantly.

I've missed having a best friend around.

"Rueben."

I don't know why I'm expecting some kind of taunting laugh or an ironic remark. He surprises me with a unchangeable look of interest as he questions, "Why?"

"He's not who I thought he was. I mean, he is, but he's not. That doesn't make any sense. Harper got to him, I think. I don't know how… And I don't know when. But it happened, it had to. I've told him everything that happened and he still…"

Spyder eats a fry. "Okay, I'm lost. Start from the top."

"Rueben's my younger twin brother. I was called out of school on Tuesday because my birth parents pulled me out."

" _Whoa_. So this is what I missed on the latest episode of The Life of Ryan Walker."

"That's not all. Rueben's a Technopath, just like me. He keeps saying that there's still a bad guy in Bay City and that I'm in danger. He and his parents want to take me away to live with them."

"They can't do that!" Spyder cries. "Is that why you want to fight him?"

"No, I'm getting there. Last night, I woke up to a panic attack. I didn't even think that was _possible_. My heart was burning and my head was pounding and I couldn't breathe. I remember Mark running in, then my mom, then Mark leaving with my phone, then I stared to calm down."

"What'd you tell your mom?" Spyder says.

"Exactly what I thought it was: A panic attack. Of course, I had to sell it a little more than that. I said that the monster attacks scared me so much that I'd been having them for a few months now, but rarely. I must've told my mom that I was fine at least five times before she finally left. That's when Mark told me what really happened.

"He said Leo called. There was a security breach at Mech-X4 last night, just minutes before my attack. According to Leo, he couldn't trace my power signatures on his computer anymore."

"Which means…?"

"It means my connection with Mech-X4 was cut. Rueben broke my bond with the robot."

Spyder's eyes widen. "How'd he know where the robot even was?"

I rub the back of my neck. "I, well, uh…"

He shakes his head. "Whatever, I'll leave the lecturing for Harris. You think Rueben will show up to school today?"

"For his sake? Better not."

Spyder glances at his phone. "Harris just texted; he's finished." I wish I can stop the pang of jealously that courses through my heart. Why didn't Harris text me, too? "We'll go see him after I finish eating and you can fill him in."

"Yeah…" I suddenly feel like I've made a mistake telling Spyder everything. We've hardly talked this entire week except for a few words exchanged during class. For Harris, it's been at least two weeks since we've had a proper conversation that didn't involve school related things. Ever since he started hanging out with Veracity, it's like Spyder and I have seen him less and less. We pass each other in the halls and sometimes, he's too absorbed in another conversation to even notice me. Same goes for Spyder.

They're the ones who drifted away from me. Shouldn't I be mad? Shouldn't I be trying to get away from them, too? I shouldn't be telling Spyder what's happened this week. I shouldn't have broken my barriers so easily. He didn't _deserve_ to know what's going on in my life. He's got his own life now, why should he care?

The second he sat down, though, I knew I couldn't keep my shield up for long. Even if Harris had sat down instead, it'd be the same. I knew I would break the second he asked where I've been or what I've been up to. My walls crumble at the need for my best friend. At the want for things to be how they once were.

I honestly thought I was stronger than that.

I take a deep breath. My chest hurts.

Turns out, I'm weak.

My stomach churns.

But why am I surprised? I'm the one stuck in the past, trying to relive my glory days. They're trying to move on with their lives, experience new things, meet new people, find themselves. They're on a more productive path than I am, that's for sure. Is that why they left?

I swallow hard.

 _Is that why they left?_

"Ryan?"

Spyder frowns at me. "Bro, you okay?"

I stand. "I, uh, gotta go. Talk to you later."

As I walk away from the table, I hear him call my name. I pull my hood over my head and stuff my hands in my pockets. The noise from the cafeteria drowns him out. I feel my heart pounding in my chest. It hurts. I walk out the door and sigh at the silence of the hallway.

A door opens and closes at the other end of the hall to my left. I don't look at them.

Someone runs into me. Our shoulders collide and I wince. The boy doesn't fall to the ground and his hands are empty this time. Instead, he grunts and I look at him. Our eyes meet and he smiles.

"Hey bro," Rueben greets.

The people coming from my left are close enough that I can see them from the corner of my eye.

"Spyder, Ryan, hey," Harris greets. I look over at him, then behind me at Spyder, who's leaning against the wall out of breath.

"Did you run out here?" I question.

He nods, "You were acting sketchy, dude." He looks past me and his eyes fall on Rueben. "Uh, Ryan…"

"What's happening?" Harris asks, looking between the two of us. I shake my head and turn back to Rueben.

Too many things have happened today already.

"I know what you did last night," I say, shoving Rueben. "Leo told me."

Rueben blinks. " _Leo_ told you?"

"Um Veracity, I'll talk to you later. I think my friends need my help," I hear Harris say uncertainly.

"Friends," I scoff, glancing at him over my shoulder. "Right. Next joke, please." He shoots me a confused look.

Back to Rueben. I nod. "Yeah. That really freaking hurt, by the way. What do you think you're doing?"

Rueben set his jaw. "Exactly what you couldn't. You didn't believe me when I said Leo was the bad guy-"

"Because he's not!"

"If you don't want to leave, fine. Whatever. But you have to take Leo down before he destroys us all."

"I'm not taking anybody down. Leo is my _friend_. He's on our _side_."

"Your side, maybe. He's been dead to me for years. If you're not strong enough to do what must be done, maybe someone else should be in control of the robot."

That's it, the icing on the worst cake ever. I clench my fists. My heart is racing. I can't breathe. This has all become too much.

I knock Rueben in the mouth. My knuckles crack against his jaw as his head follows my fist. He stumbles back while I stumble forward, hand throbbing painfully. Someone gasps behind me. I don't want to look.

Rueben stares at me as he nurses his jaw. His eyes are wide, but his face is twisted in an angered snarl. He lunges at me, but I step out of the way. As he spins around to try and grab at me again, I separate myself the best I can. There's too much going on, too much has happened already.

Harris and Spyder watch me in shock.

Rueben glowers at me with a newfound hatred that I never would've guessed he'd have for me.

They're all staring at me.

They're all _staring_ at _me_.

I feel like I'm going to explode.

I run.


	7. seven

Things get a little dark in this chapter. I hope it was worth the wait. Sorry, btw. The past few days have been rough mentally and I'm still trying to recover. That might be why this is such an emotional chapter. I swear this will eventually end happy.

* * *

The halls are spinning. His body is trembling. Heart racing. Head pounding. Legs feel like jelly. Wall. He leans against a wall for support. He coughs, gasps for air. Chest hurts. Throat's tight. Is it hot? It's hot.

 _Rueben has the robot_.

Ryan slides down the wall. He can't breathe.

 _Destiny and Alec are going to take him away_.

The world is silent. It's suffocating him.

Lights burst into a flurry of sparks around him. The entire school's electricity is wavering, threatening to shut off.

Somewhere in the cafeteria, Mark gets a knot in his stomach as he and his friends watch the quivering electric. He knows only one thing that can manipulate this much power.

To Ryan's left, a small bundle of sparks pour out of an intercom. It falls quietly to the ground and lands on a piece of stray notebook paper. The paper is soon engulfed, eaten away by red and orange flames that begin to rise. They leap across the tile floor and devour a failed science test. It grows with fury as it reaches the ceiling, picking off pieces of the material in short strokes.

Ryan jumps to his feet. The heat burns his skin, makes his forehead sweat. The fire crawls toward him, flames feeding off the posters on the walls. He tries to walk backward, but he loses his balance.

His world is really going down in _flames_.

Harris and Spyder race around the corner. They stumble to a stop, the scene before them taking their breath away. The hallway is filled with smoke so thick they can hardly see. Spyder pulls his shirt over his nose. Harris covers his face with his arm as he squints. There's a figure in the midst of it, frozen in front of the firewall raining down on them.

Harris yells Ryan's name, praying it isn't actually his best friend standing there. He hopes Ryan is in some other part of the school, safely away from any kind of danger, especially in the state he's in. Harris dares to take a step forward, shouts the name again. Spyder grabs his arm, pulls him back.

Ryan hears the call over the fire. He turns, scrambles from the fire. He can't distinguish the voice over how loud his heart is pounding in his ears and the mocking cackles of the fire. His vision is growing blurry, whether from tears or smoke, he isn't sure.

"Who are you?" Ryan asks, moving away from the flames just enough to hear the answer. He remains in the safety of the smoke, hoping whoever it is can't see him.

"Spyder and Harris!" Harris replies. Ryan can hear it now, he can recognize his friend's voice. He starts to move toward them, but stops. He glances behind him, only briefly. He stares into the angry fire barreling toward him. The air is becoming toxic, he's struggling to breathe even more.

For a split second, he wonders.

He wonders if it would really be that bad to just stay there, to let the fire engulf him.

At least eventually he'd be safe from anybody who tries to hurt him again.

There's a yell of surprise from Harris, one Ryan can't understand.

A hand grabs Ryan's arm and drags him away. Instinct tells Ryan to jerk his arm away and fight back. He swings a fist, but the person blocks it quickly. They capture Ryan's other wrist, trapping him. This person is stronger than Ryan.

Or maybe Ryan is just weak.

Harris sighs with relief when the two emerge into open air. Spyder's face is unreadable. He releases Ryan and the two stare at each other.

"We need to get out of here," Harris says. He spins around, eyes scanning the walls before they fall on a fire alarm across from them. He quickly pulls it down, wincing at the piercing wail that fills the school. Students begin to flood the halls, some screaming in panic when they see it's not a drill.

Spyder grabs Ryan's arm again, forcing the boy with them. As they head for the front doors, Spyder can't keep his thoughts away from what just happened. He's so annoyed. What's Ryan _thinking_? He squeezes Ryan's arm.

Ryan glances over at him, then shoves Spyder away. The pair stop just outside the front doors. Students rush past, anxious to get to the safety of the outside world. Harris is a few feet ahead before he notices he's walking alone. He frowns and turns back to see what's happening.

Spyder and Ryan are _glaring_ at each other.

Harris slowly walks back to them, a bad feeling in his gut.

"What was that?!" Spyder spits first, gesturing toward the door.

"What?" Ryan bites back.

"There was a _fire_ and you just _stood_ there. Are you _insane_?!"

"I…" His chest tightens again. Spyder doesn't notice.

"If I hadn't pulled you out of there, would you have even _left_?"

"Of course I would've!" Even as he says it, he questions himself. Would he? Of course…

Harris glances at the people who give them curious looks as they pass. "Guys, maybe we should do this somewhere else…"

Spyder takes a deep breath. Then another. His jaw clenches as he looks around. "I know what your brother did was bad and all, but you can't just do stuff like that. You… You _scared_ me, man. You were staring at that fire like you didn't care if it got you."

His voice shakes, just a little bit. Harris's eyes widen. He's shocked and confused. Obviously, Spyder couldn't be talking about Mark, right? Mark would never do something so bad to Ryan, not enough to make Ryan…

There's something different about Ryan. Harris hasn't noticed it until just now, but it's undeniably clear now. Even as they stand in front of the school, surrounded by dozens of people, Ryan is nervous. He's glancing around at his surroundings, occasionally looking at the sky, pulling at the strings on his sweatshirt. He's breathing hard, like he's out of breath. Harris can hear it now that they're not arguing.

Ryan's nervous about something.

Or is he scared?

Harris chews on his lip. "We need to talk about this somewhere else."

The firmness in his tone can't be argued with. Spyder nods. Ryan doesn't look at him. Spyder threatens, "I'll _drag you_ if I have to."

Ryan looks at them. His eyebrows are drawn together and there are tears in his eyes. Harris wonders if Spyder notices the same thing he does.

Ryan is _scared_.

But of _what_?

•••••

Ryan sends a quick text to Mark and his mom explaining where he is. The three sit on picnic tables at the park, Spyder next to him as they watch Harris pace. Spyder just explained everything to Harris after Ryan refused to speak. Harris is trying to make sense of it all.

Ryan scratches his nose and he scrolls through his missed calls. Destiny and Alec, Destiny and Alec. Not a single word from Rueben. He doesn't know if he should be relieved or worried.

"How'd he find the robot in the first place?" Harris demands, breaking the silence. Ryan glances at him, face emotionless. He rubs his temples and sighs.

"I took him there."

Harris tries not to react. He tries to keep his cool, restrain himself from asking _why on earth_ he'd lead a _complete stranger_ to the city's greatest secret because he _knows_ the last thing Ryan needs is someone to blow up on him.

" _Why_ _would you_ -" Harris stops himself. He bites his thumb, takes a deep breath. Calmly, he asks, "Why would you take somebody you hardly know to Mech-X4?"

Ryan notices Harris's attempts to stay calm. Spyder does, too, but he stays silent. Ryan comments, "Why are you acting like that?"

"Don't change the subject."

"I'm just wondering why you're trying to stay sane here. Is it because of me?" Ryan forces a laugh. It's rugged and bitter. Spyder stares at the ground, the noise a little disturbing. "What, you guys think I've jumped off the deep end or something? That me staring into that fire makes me insane or whatever Spyder said?" Ryan laughs like it's the most delirious thing in the world.

"I think you looked scared back at school," Harris answers. "You looked around like you were waiting for someone or you were scared they would actually show up."

Ryan shrugs. "I think I'm just permanently paranoid now." He slides off the table and takes a few steps away from them. Suddenly, being near them is too close. He shoves his hands in his sweatshirt pocket.

"I know you're trying to act like the lone wolf hero, but you can cut it out now," Harris says evenly, watching Ryan carefully. He's half expecting Ryan to run or something.

"You're wrong, Harris," Ryan mutters. Harris raises an eyebrow. Spyder glances at Harris anxiously. They all know how much Harris hates to be told he's wrong.

"I'm _what_?"

" _You're wrong_." Ryan shakes his head. "I'm not _acting_ like anything, this is just me."

"This _isn't_ you," Spyder argues.

Ryan frowns. "I don't like it anymore than you do but… This is just what's happened. It's how it goes, I guess."

"Shut up," Harris snaps. "Stop talking like that. You're not alone in this, you never were."

Cue the bitter laugh again. Spyder jumps to his feet. He doesn't like where the conversation is shifting to.

"I was, actually. Mark was busy with his own thing, you guys were busy with yours, and my mom's just been trying to arrest my birth parents. I was alone. I think I still am." Ryan toes the dirt. He shakes his head. His heart's pounding again.

"I don't know who I'm supposed to trust anymore."

Harris starts to speak, but he can't. He can't develop any kind of defense to that. He can't conjure up something comforting to tell his best friend. He can't even _process_ what Ryan just said because this is his best friend who is hurting and has been hurting for a while and… And…

And Harris was oblivious to it all.

The shorter boy looks at Spyder.

Spyder purses his lips. He's angry. He's angry at so many people he can't name them all. He's angry at Rueben for being a grade A douchebag and he's angry at Seth Harper for starting this and he's angry at himself for _not noticing_ …

"Ryan…" Spyder begins, but he can't find the words. He wants to apologize, but the words catch in his throat. Apologies are empty words that you say when there's nothing else to say. They're supposed to be comforting at funerals and show pity when your parents split or your dog dies or you break your leg and try to take the cast off by yourself because you _can't handle the restraint…_

Ryan takes a deep breath. "I have to go, um, gotta make a phone call. I'll… See you guys around?"

He's gone.

Spyder and Harris are left in silence. Complete, utter silence.

Harris feels sick.

Spyder balls his hands into fists. "I'm gonna kill that Rueben kid."

"Spyder-"

"No, you can't talk me out of this. Everything was fine before he showed up. I'm going to _end_ that kid. He's going to regret ever coming to Bay City."

"Everything _wasn't_ fine before he showed up!" Harris shouts. "Our best friend was hurting and we had no idea!"

Spyder slams his fist on the table. Pieces of wood chip off and bounce into the grass. Harris crosses his arms.

"Do you think he'd actually… You know, hurt himself?" Even the words make Harris want to puke. They taste like iron on his tongue. He holds onto the table for support.

"We won't give him the chance."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean we're not leaving him alone. Not again. We need to tell Mark what's going on and just keep an eye on him. And when this is over, I _swear_ I will break _every bone_ in Rueben's body."

Harris nods. He's never seen Spyder like this. Spyder's protective, sure–what friends aren't?–but this is different. His face is red and his hands are trembling and his body is just _radiating_ with anger.

Someone has _hurt_ his best friend and _God help_ the kid when Spyder gets ahold of him.

•••••

It's late when Mark gets home. The house is silent as he creeps through the back door. He cringes as the floorboards squeak under him when he walks. He tiptoes across the living room and is about to walk upstairs when a voice startles him.

"You're home late."

Mark nearly falls into the wall, gasping in surprise. He spins around and finds Ryan sitting at the kitchen table, the light over his head suddenly on. Mark sighs with relief and kicks his shoes off. He pushes them against the stairs and walks over to Ryan.

"And _you're_ up late. What are you doing?" Mark asks, sitting on the stool next to Ryan.

Ryan shakes his head and lays his phone down. "Just making a call."

"To who?"

"Not important."

Mark makes a face. "Okay? So, crazy day huh?" He laughs quietly.

Ryan rubs his face. He can't help but chuckle as well, but for an entirely different reason. "Oh, you have no idea."

"What's that mean?"

"Nothing." Ryan can feel Mark staring at him. Ryan drums his fingers on the table anxiously. Just as Mark begins to head upstairs, Ryan asks, "Did you lose any friends when you started high school?"

Mark eases back onto the stool. "Yeah, of course. Remember Andrew Rhodes?"

Ryan did remember Andrew. He and Mark were inseparable all through middle school. He was always over at Ryan's house and let Ryan play video games with them, even when Mark tried to send him away. Ryan liked Andrew, but he never really realized that Andrew and Mark were growing apart. One day, Andrew just stopped coming over and Dane was in his place.

Ryan still sees Andrew now and then around town. He skates at the park Ryan and Spyder used to go to, but they've never spoken to him.

Mark continues, "It wasn't immediate. His mom died the summer before freshmen year, and he just kinda… Changed. I guess the grief was too much for him because his grades started dropping. He was put into different classes and I never saw him anymore."

"So something traumatic happened and he pushed everyone away."

Ryan's stomach churns.

"So it _is_ my fault."

Mark frowns. "No, no. Are you talking about Spyder and Harris? It's not your fault, Ry. Sometimes, people just drift apart. There's nothing you can do about it." Ryan doesn't say a word. Mark proceeds, "The way I see it, people come and go all the time. It's just life. But some of those people will come back, and those are the ones who are supposed to be here. The ones who don't return were only here to teach you something, to make you stronger."

"What'd you learn after Andrew left?" Ryan asks. His voice is weak now, like he's trying not to cry.

"I learned that I can stand on my own." Ryan looks up at him. "You remember when I was too shy to ask for a pack of ketchup at McDonald's?"

Ryan snickers. "Yeah. I remember Mom wouldn't let you eat until you got your ketchup."

"Her teaching methods were brutal. But anyways, I learned to be more confident in myself. I joined the football team and met Dane. We weren't that bad for our first year ever." Mark smirks proudly. Ryan rolls his eyes. "Slowly, I found new friends and gained more confidence. That's not to say I don't miss Andrew… Because I do. I miss what we had. Sometimes, I wish I could go back and change something that happened the first few weeks of school. Maybe if I texted him more or tried harder to talk to him in school, maybe we'd still be friends. But I'm pretty sure we'd still end up the same way."

"I just need to know that I'm going to leave this school with the same people I walked in with."

Mark purses his lips. "I really wish I could guarantee you that that'll happen… But I can't. That's high school."

"High school _sucks_."

"Well, you're not wrong. Don't worry, though. You three will get through this."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because I've seen you in action. There's no way you guys will split up without a fight."

Ryan looks at his phone. He silenced it when he got home. His screen is filled with numerous text messages from Spyder and Harris. Most are nonsense, just trying to get his attention. Ryan raises an eyebrow.

 _Is this the fight?_

"Thanks for the talk," Ryan says, sliding off the stool. "It was surprisingly more deep than I was expecting."

"I can be poetic when I need to be. It's one of my many talents," Mark brags, flashing a grin.

Ryan shakes his head. "Aaannnd he's back."

As Ryan begins to climb the stairs, Mark's phone buzzes on the table. It's Spyder. He reluctantly opens it, wondering how Spyder got his number in the first place.

His heart nearly stops at the words.

"Hey, Ryan?" Mark calls.

Ryan stops and looks down at him.

Mark locks his phone and meets his brother's eyes. "You know you can talk to me about anything, right?"

Ryan smiles reassuringly. "Yeah, I know. Goodnight, bro."

"Goodnight…"

•••••

That night, Ryan sends a text before he goes to sleep. His fingers shake as he types it out and he rereads it at least five times before it sends.

 _Rueben_ is at the top of the screen. Earlier, Ryan deleted their previous conversations over the past few days. He couldn't stand to look at them then.

Ryan reads the text a sixth time. He's trying to figure out if he's making a giant mistake or not.

 _You were right. I can't stand to be in this city anymore. I called Destiny earlier and told her I'd be happy to come live with you guys. We leave Sunday._


	8. eight

According to Microsoft Word on my computer, this book is nearly forty pages long. I'm kind of impressed. Also, holy crap this is a long chapter. Hope it was worth the wait! :)

* * *

Saturday is chaos.

It starts with the coffee machine in the office breaking, leaving the employees in a foul mood and Leo questioning how Seth managed to put up with them for so long. He's thankful he grabbed a cup of caffeine at a gas station instead. If it weren't so early in the morning, he would laugh at the envious glares he receives as he walks down the hall.

An hour later, he receives a call from the lab beneath the building. They've been working on analyzing and disposing of the ooze that was under the school. A nervous tone greets him on the other end. Leo takes a long drink of his coffee as the scientist stutters and mumbles the situation. There's a crash and a gasp in the background that catches Leo's attention.

"What was that?" Leo demands.

"Th-That was Dr. Hale dropping a beaker in surprise. We-We've found something, sir. Something… Disturbing."

•••••

The ooze is still a mystery, even after Leo and his new team of scientists have been analyzing it all this tim. Based on the experiences with Grace Walker and Harris, Leo labeled the substance as deadly to humans and the entire lab was quarantined. He can't imagine any person still in tact after being submerged in the ooze for four months.

With his hazmat suit on, Leo makes a beeline for the giant barrel at the back of the room. People catch his look of determination and scramble out of the way. Dr. Hale, the leader of the establishment, meets him in front of the containers. Her face is serious and she stares solemnly at him through the foggy face mask.

"Good morning, Mr. Mendel," she greets.

"Morning. What do you have?" Leo demands, stepping around her. He leans over the edge of the ooze container and gazes into the hot orange substance.

"Not here, sir." Leo looks back at Dr. Hale. She points to a room to her right. It's windowless and contains only a single, metal door with a caution sticker plastered across it. "What you're looking for is inside there."

Leo nods and heads for the room. He can feel the eyes of the scientists against his back as he walks. The door is heavy and groans as he pulls it open. Inside, a large barrel of ooze sits beneath dim lights that hang from the ceiling. Leo lets the door shut behind him without sparing a glance at his audience.

The ooze bubbles a greeting when Leo approaches it. His eyes fall over the liquid for one moment before he jumps. What lies just beneath the substance shocks him to the core. His stomach flips. His heart skips a beat.

He turns his back to it. Quickly, he dials a number and patiently waits as it rings in his ear.

"Hello?" the person answers after a minute.

"Get to Harper Futuristics _now_. I have something you need to see."

•••••

"So," Mark says, walking into my room, "what's the plan?" He sits on my bed, seemingly oblivious to the fact that I'm packing a suitcase. It's around ten AM Saturday morning. Mom is at work and I guess this is one of the rare moments Mark Walker doesn't have any plans.

I glance at him briefly before stacking pairs of pants against one side of the suitcase. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about your move against Rueben! What are you going to do to stop him?" He leans forward and peers into the suitcase. "And where are you going? It's not our weekend at Dad's, is it?"

"That's next weekend," I correct, shaking my head.

"Then what are you packing for?"

I don't meet his eyes. "I'm leaving. Rueben and his parents are going back to Idaho tomorrow and… I'm going with them."

"You're _what_?" Mark gasps. He jumps off the bed. "You can't just… _Why_?!"

As I turn to start emptying my sock drawer, I explain, "Rueben told me that I can either leave with them or he can kill Leo." I look at him over my shoulder. His eyes are narrowed and his nose is scrunched in anger. "I'm not letting anybody die, Mark."

He shakes his head slowly. "This isn't like you. You never give up so easily. What did Rueben tell you?"

"I'm _not_ giving up!" I exclaim, slamming the drawer shut. "Maybe I just want to get out of here. You ever think of that?"

"No, never. You worked so hard to protect this city, why would you want to leave now?"

"That was before. Can't live in the past forever, Mark." I stuff the socks into the corner of the suitcase. Mark crosses his arms over his chest and steps closer to the bed. I look up at him, waiting for the yelling to start. His face is twisted in frustration. There's an argument coming, I can feel it.

"Before _what_?" he presses. "Before you hit a rough patch with your friends? Before things really started to get _hard_? You're not special because you have powers, Ryan. Everybody loses someone close to them, it's not just a _you_ _problem_!" I roll my eyes. "You can't just run because things have gotten bad."

"I'm _not_ ," I hiss. "I'm trying to save someone's _life_!"

"Are you sure you're not running away to be with these people you don't even know? So you can be a family or _whatever_?"

"Would that really be such a bad thing?!" I shout. "They're my _birth parents_! They're who I come from, they're what I'm made of!"

"But we're your _family_! Mom has raised you your entire life. We were here and they weren't. I don't believe you can leave so easily."

"You really think walking away from everything I've ever known is _easy_?"

"You're making it look that way."

I stare at him for a moment. My phone vibrates in my pocket. Once, then twice. Mark's does, too. We take notice that we both received texts at the same time and exchanged angry, confused looks.

It's a message from Leo. He's sent this to Spyder and Harris, too.

 _Get to Harper Futuristics NOW_ _. We found something_

•••••

Things are awkward.

Spyder, Harris, Mark, and I are in the elevator, riding it down to the bottom floor. We're standing in separate corners. They're exchanging looks with each other, but I'm staring at the ground, avoiding them all. It takes longer than I would've thought getting to the basement. The close proximity is making it hard to breathe. I anxiously watch the door.

They don't open fast enough. When the elevator dings and the doors slide apart, I rush out first. The air automatically feels lighter.

Adults surround us. They shoot questionable and disapproving glares as they pass by. Some turn away from their stations to stare at us. Suddenly, I'm almost wishing I could go back in the elevator.

"Ryan!" someone calls from my left. It's Leo, walking toward us in a hazmat suit. He's missing his helmet, though. I hear Harris question Leo's attire behind me.

"C'mon, it's this way," Leo says, ushering us forward. Slowly, people begin to turn away from us and go back to their work.

"Shouldn't we have hazmat suits on?" Mark questions.

"Maybe, but you four have the most experience with the ooze. The quarantine and hazmat suits were more for the other scientists, honestly. They were a bit nervous about everything when the ooze was first removed."

We stop just outside of a separate block room. Leo turns and glances around the lab, like he's looking for someone.

"Can we hurry this up?" I ask, a little more rude than I intended.

Leo's eyes fall to me. "I'm sorry, do you have some place else you need to be?"

"Not until tomorrow," Mark answers, crossing his arms over his chest. He has that stupid sarcastic scowl on his face. Raising an eyebrow, he switches his gaze to me and asks, "Or is there another surprise where you lied to me and you're actually leaving today?"

I clench my jaw and sigh. Leo looks between us, pursing his lips. "Yeesh, family drama?"

"You have no idea," Harris, Spyder, and I answer in unison. They stare at me and I glance between them briefly before averting my gaze.

"Not just _family_ drama then," Leo mutters. "Well, I _was_ waiting for two more, but I think it might be better if they're not here. Might add to the drama." He turns to the room and yanks the door open. A faint smell of something burning makes my eyes water. Leo glances back at us and adds, "Sorry about the smell. We have machines trying to dissolve the ooze."

"Why do you need to dissolve it?" Harris asks.

"You'll see."

The door slams shut behind us. We surround the container in the center of the room. It's more tall than it is wide. It's taller than me, but shorter than Mark. Dozens of chords are dipped into the ooze and lay scattered across the floor, all leading to a large machine with a soft hum. That's where the smell must be coming from.

"I called you all here because something was found in the ooze," Leo explains from his place by the door.

"What was it?" Mark asks.

"See for yourself."

We all glance at each other, daring somebody to go first. Harris and I take a step forward, but I take one more. He doesn't follow. I creep up to the container and lean over the edge, careful not to bother the chords. Bubbles pop as though they're winking at me. For a moment, I notice nothing out of the ordinary. It's the same ooze I remember seeing in the volcano and in Harper's memory.

But then, there's something beneath the thin layer of ooze. It pokes through the surface and suddenly, it's very clear. My eyes widen. My jaw drops.

There, bobbing in the dark orange liquid, is the head of Seth Harper. I want to assume that the head is still attached to the body. I guess that's why Leo's dissolving the ooze, to make sure. Not only is that Harper's head in there, though. Orange goo is seeping from cracks across his cheeks and the skin on his eyelids are chipped away, leaving a raw, discolored undercoat. His face is pink, like he's been in the sun for too long.

I stumble back and fall to the ground. My stomach churns. "I'm gonna puke," I say, covering my mouth as I shake my head slowly.

Spyder and Harris look at each other. They approach the container and yell in surprise. Spyder joins me on the ground. Harris turns his back to the barrel and covers his face.

"That's the most disturbing thing I've ever seen," Spyder groans.

Mark is the last to look at it. He gazes into the ooze and grimaces. Slowly, he backs away. I guess all those cop shows he likes to watch have prepared him for this kind of moment.

"Is that all of him?" Mark asks tentatively.

Leo shrugs. "We won't know until we extract every drop of ooze from that container."

I push myself off the ground. With trembling hands, I fish my phone out of my pocket and step up to the container again. I hold my phone over the ooze, trying to position it clearly so the camera could capture everything.

"What are you _doing_?" Harris demands.

"I need proof," I respond quietly. The camera clicks and I pocket my phone once more.

"Of what?" Spyder questions.

"Of what we were fighting against. Of what my _parents_ were fighting against." I look at Mark. He's watching me carefully, his anger subsided. "I don't wanna leave. I don't wanna walk away from everything I've ever known."

"Then _don't_ -" Mark stresses.

"I _have_ to," I cut him off. "Rueben has Mech-X4. I can't stop him, and he won't stop until he's killed Leo. Or until I've rejoined them. And the second option sounds a whole lot easier."

"Is that you talking?" Leo asks. "Or did Destiny get in your head? She came here a few days ago proposing almost the same thing. When all this is over, I'm seeing a possible custody battle in your future, kid."

I rub my neck. "I was expecting that."

"Custody battles suck," Spyder interjects.

"There might be a way to override the robot, though," Leo adds.

"Override?" Harris asks. He and Spyder step up beside me. I glance at them, but don't move away like I had expected myself to. A twinge of nostalgia touches my heart. This feels like old times, coming up with plans to take down a villain. Too bad this villain happens to be my little brother.

"Yes, well, I've designed Mech-X4 to have two different pilot options. The first is with a technopath, of course, and the other is with an old fashioned control panel. If we can shut down the technopathic part of the robot, then there goes Rueben's control over it."

"Doesn't hurt to try it, I guess," I say.

"However, it's a risk."

"Of course it is," Spyder mutters.

"Why's it a risk?" I ask. "Will it hurt him?"

Leo chuckles. "Oh yeah, totally. His bond to the robot will be broken. Of course, it won't be as painful as your experience because his connection isn't as strong as yours was. That's not the risk I'm talking about, though." He sighs. "If we destroy the part of the robot that allows it to run on technopathic energy, there's no guarantee I can ever fix it."

"So… We can take Rueben's control of Mech-X4 but… I might never be able to pilot it again," I sum it up.

Leo nods. "Unfortunately, yes."

As I begin to mull over the decision, there's a knock at the door. Leo sighs and mumbles something about the employees being annoying, then walks over. He opens the door and Destiny barges inside without so much as a hello. Alec is right behind her, tapping his cane against the ground with every step.

"Uh, hey," Leo greets, shutting the door and turning to us. "You were supposed to be here ten minutes ago."

"Rueben kept _questioning_ us. Hi sweetheart," Destiny greets, smiling at me.

"Hi, Destiny," I reply. "Hi, Alec."

"Morning, son," he waves.

"So, um, these are your parents?" Mark asks, exchanging a look with Harris. The three of them look uncomfortable.

I nod. "Yeah. Destiny, Alec, this is my brother, Mark."

"This the one you said had a, uh, what was it?" Alec says. "'An ego the size of California?'"

Mark glares at me. I chuckle sheepishly. "Yep, he's the one."

"It's nice to meet you," Destiny smiles. Her eyes drift to Spyder and Harris.

"And this is Spyder and Harris. They're my best friends." Harris smiles at me and I offer a small one in return. I don't know if we're as great of friends as we once were, but they're still the best friends I've ever had. "Guys, these are my parents, Destiny and Alec Brown."

"What kinda name is Spyder?" Alec questions.

"It's a nickname," Spyder explains.

"So does that mean when you become a man, you'll be Spyder-Man?"

Spyder's eyes widen. He looks at Harris and me eagerly. "Guys, I'm Spyder-Man!"

I laugh loudly and it fills the room. My friends and brother look over at me in surprise. I guess it's been some time since I laughed with them around. Okay, so maybe it's only been a week, but it feels like it a lifetime ago.

"Now Leo, you said you had something to show us?" Destiny asks.

"Right. My team of scientists discovered something in the ooze Harper used to create his monsters. I just thought you'd like to see it and maybe get some disclosure?"

I grab her arm as she begins to walk toward the container. "It's Seth Harper, and he doesn't look too great. Trust me, it might be better if you don't see this one."

Destiny presses her lips together. She looks at the ooze, then back at me. Offering a soft smile, she covers my hand with hers and gives it a squeeze.

"Thank you Ryan, but I've been running from this man for too long."

Mark watches the exchange from behind Ryan. He doesn't like it, but can't explain why. There's just something off about this, something weird at the pit of his stomach. This woman, this _stranger_ , shouldn't be acting this way. She shouldn't be looking at Ryan the same way Grace looked at Mark when he was younger and afraid of the dark. She shouldn't be acting so… So _motherly_ toward Ryan, because she's _not_ his mother.

Acceptance, that's what it is. That's what he doesn't like about the whole exchange. For the first time since finding out Ryan's adopted, Mark's faced with actually accepting the fact that this is his _adoptive brother's real mother_. This is Ryan's _birth_ family. This is Ryan's blood, and Mark doesn't want to accept it.

I reluctantly let Destiny go. She leans over the container and stares down into the ooze. She gasps and covers her mouth with her hand. Destiny stands still, frozen in shock and gazing at what's left of her previous tormentor.

I walk forward and touch her arm gently. When my fingers brush against her skin, she flinches and steps away. I almost follow her, but decide against it. She looks at me and drops her hand.

"I'm sorry," she apologizes. "It's an instinct. But I… I can't believe he's really gone. He's… He's dead. Seth Harper is dead."

"Feels good to hear those words," Alec admits.

Hopeful, I ask, "This means you can come out of hiding, right?" Destiny looks at me.

Behind me, Leo tells the others, "Let's give them a minute." I hear the door open and close once more and turn back to see that we're alone.

"Can you?" I ask again. "Can you really come out of hiding?"

Tears run down Destiny's cheeks. I immediately feel guilty. Here I am, asking if they're going to return to a normal life in the world after they've been running and hiding for so long. I can't imagine how that must've been.

… I guess I can't imagine how Rueben feels, either.

Destiny slowly runs her hands across her arms, tracing the scars that are embedded in her skin. Her fingers linger on a cut just below her hand. It's slashed diagonally across her skin.

"This was my first scar," she says. "I got it when you and Rueben were just one month old. Leo tried to run tests on you, but I refused. We left you two with a nanny instead. Alec and I went about work as usual, him at the office and me at the hospital. I thought everything was fine. There had been no word of Harper since you two had been born.

"Then one day, when I was just finishing up rounds and about to head home, this shady looking man came into the ER wearing a black coat and sunglasses and a hat. He wasn't hurt from what I could tell, but he was stumbling around and acting strange. I thought he was drunk and called the police, but also sat him down for a checkup. He seemed like a nice man, talking about his work and asking me about my family. I didn't think anything of it. When I went to check his vitals, though, he grabbed my wrist and pulled me close. He tore his glasses off and pushed his hat back. It was Seth Harper."

I look over at Alec, who's staring solemnly at the ground. The grip on his cane is tighter; I can see his veins bulging beneath his skin. Destiny takes a deep, shaky breath before continuing.

"To this day, I still don't know how he found out about you having powers, but he knew. I'll never forget what he said to me, either: 'It doesn't matter how fast you run or how far you go, I will find your Technopath, and I will _end him_.'"

Chills run down my spine. I swallow hard. "Well," I say, laughing nervously, "he didn't accomplish _that_ goal."

"But he did manage to tear our family apart. He took our child from us. We never got to throw you another birthday party or teach you to ride a bike or send you off on your first day of school." More tears spill over her cheeks. I find my own eyes feeling glossy and I quickly blink them away. "Instead, we ran. We ran across the country, constantly jumping from town to town and never being able to settle down. Poor Rueben didn't stay at a school for longer than a year."

"No matter where we went, we were always looking over our shoulders," Alec adds.

Destiny nods at him, then gazes down at the body of Seth Harper. "And now… Seeing this man, the one who tormented us and ruined us for _years,_ seeing him _dead_ is just…" She wipes her tears away and sniffs. "It's satisfying, to say the least. I don't know if we can just jump right back into what our lives once were, though. We need time to adjust to a normal life again."

I nod slowly. "So, that means you're still going back to Idaho tomorrow?"

She smiles weakly. "I'm afraid so. You're welcome to join us, of course, but I understand if you don't want to. Your friends and brother seem like good people. You've actually got a much better life here than I originally guessed." Her eyes flicker to her husband and she adds quietly, "Guess I owe Leo an apology."

"Mmhm," Alec hums.

I'm about to ask what she means by that when my phone rings. Mumbling an apology, I pull it out and glance at the name briefly before answering. "Rueben, hey."

"Where are you? You were supposed to meet me at school five minutes ago!" Rueben complains on the other end. "I've been watching a squirrel carry nuts up its tree for, like, fifteen minutes and I'm not even bored? No, I think I'm so bored I've convinced myself that this is entertaining."

I chuckle. "Sorry bro, my mom made me do the laundry. On my way now!" I hang up and turn back to my parents. Then, I walk over to the door and open it. Harris is standing a few feet away, eagerly observing a group of scientists surrounding a table full of beakers. Mark is leaning against the wall next to the door, playing on his phone. An annoyed Leo is pushing a sheepish looking Spyder back to the door. I imagine Spyder tried to touch something.

"Hey," I call, earning their attention, "c'mon, we need to devise a plan. I'm meeting Rueben in a few minutes."

"What's going on?" Alec asks when we're all back inside again.

"Short version?" I say. "Rueben's trying to kill Leo and I think I can talk him out of it, but we need a Plan B if I can't."

Alec rips his sunglasses off and his eyes widen. I stare back into his clouded pupils, frozen with shock. His eyes don't even look like eyes, really, just two foggy marbles where his eyes should be.

"Is there a _longer version_?!" he questions confusedly.

My phone vibrates in my hand, over and over. Texts pour into my phone, each from Rueben. It's like he's sending his thoughts as they come to him.

 _Turns out watching a squirrel for this long CAN get boring_

 _I'm walking around. If you'd ever respond we can meet up somewhere else_

 _Hey I think I see your mom's car. What's she doing there?_

The texts stop abruptly. I find myself holding my breath, waiting for his next move. Mark drove my mom's car to Harper Futuristics. That means Rueben's outside.

"What's wrong?" Harris asks. They're all staring at me.

My phone rings in my hand. I'll give you one guess.

"Hey," I answer.

"Ryan." His voice is calm, but there's an edge in it. He sounds angry, but also betrayed. It frightens me a little. "Why are _you_ and our _parents_ at _Leo Mendel's office_?"


	9. nine

Very important note regarding a sequel at the end! :)

* * *

Bay City has a rather large proximity and a population just as big, but that doesn't mean the streets are as wide. Most are small side streets that lead into neighborhoods surrounding the city. The one leading to the junkyard is a two lane road with a speed limit of thirty-five.

Mark is doing _seventy_.

"Whoa!" I exclaim, grabbing the handle at the top of the car.

"We're gonna die!" Harris cries behind me.

"We're _not_ gonna die!" Mark argues. "I've done this like a dozen times at home."

"That's a _video game_!" I shout. Mark takes a sharp right and veers into the other lane. A car barrels toward us, honking angrily until we're back on our own side.

"I dunno what you guys are talking about, this is _awesome_ ," Spyder laughs.

I text Rueben for the fifth time. He's still not answering. I pray that he hasn't reached the robot yet.

"There it is," Harris says. I feel him grab onto my seat and glance back at them. They're both staring straight ahead, one terrified and the other excited. Harris offers a smile and I return it before turning back to the front.

The junkyard is right in front of us. Above the road is a faded sign with missing letters and chipped wood. We're almost there, and I have yet to see Rueben.

Suddenly, the tires squeal and we're all thrown forward. I catch myself on the dashboard with my hands before the rest of my body is thrown into it. Mark slams against the steering wheel and the horn howls outside. My seat shakes as I assume Harris probably ran into it. To my left, I see Spyder holding his head and looking around.

"What the-" Harris cries, looking around. The car slows to a stop in the middle of the street. A truck races by on the other side, then we're left alone again.

" _He's coming_ ," Spyder says in a high pitched, creepy voice. Harris and I stare at him. He chuckles nervously, "Sorry, this is freaking me out."

"If he's controlling this, don't you think it'd be a good idea to get out?!" Harris exclaims, already throwing open his door. The rest of us follow suit, scrambling to get away as quickly as we can.

When I'm outside, I see him. He's standing a few feet away, right behind the car. His eyes are blue, but I don't know what he's tapping into. Is it the car? The street posts? _Another_ car somewhere in the distance that we can't see?

"Rueben!" I call, my voice echoing in the trees. He blinks and the blue is gone.

"That looked pretty terrifying," Harris admits behind me. I look back at them.

"Get to the robot," I order. "Make sure he doesn't get in."

They don't move. "What about you?" Mark questions.

"I'm fine. Just go!" They look from me to Rueben. Slowly, they nod and take off. Mark gives me a look, silently demanding I do nothing stupid, then races down the street.

With a sigh, I turn back to Rueben.

"Are you _insane_?" I demand. "You could've killed us!"

"If I wanted to kill you, I would've done it. None of this concerns you or your friends, Ryan. This is family business."

"And we're family, aren't we?" I take a step forward. "We have the same blood, the same parents, the same _power_. We're family whether you like it or not."

He crosses his arms. "Did you mean what you said about coming to live with us?"

"Yes," I say after a moment of hesitation.

"You're lying."

"I, well, a little bit, yeah." He glares. I quickly add, "I did at first, really, but-"

"But nothing! You wanted out, I _know_ you did. Your so called 'best friends' were ignoring you and you and Mark hardly speak anymore. So why stay here? Why stay in a place where you're not wanted?"

My mouth falls open in shock. Rueben pushes his glasses up the bridge of his nose. A scratchy hum fills my eardrum and I wince. The earpieces Leo gave us before we left his lab aren't exactly state of the art.

"We're in," Harris informs me.

"Okay," I whisper. Rueben walks toward me.

"Just come home," he tries. "You're supposed to be with us. We're supposed to be brothers, figuring out our powers and growing up together."

"How do you know I wanted to leave?" I challenge. "I only told Mark that last night _in my house_ , so how could you _possibly_ know that?"

He stops. His eyes widen, only slightly. Momentarily, he's at a loss for words. Then, his face falls and he's serious once more.

Before he has a chance to lie, I ask, "And how did you know what my mom's car looked like? I don't think you've ever seen it before."

"I've been tracking you for a year now. Is it really a shock that I know what kind of car your mom drives?" He takes a step forward. The sun reflects off his glasses and I can't see his eyes. "You're in my way, Ryan. Either you can join me or you can perish with the rest of them."

 _Perish with the rest of them._

Sounds like something Harper would say.

"How are you doing, Ry?" Mark asks. His voice rings through my head and I worry Rueben can hear.

I turn my head, hoping he won't notice me speak. "Fine," I answer shortly. Rueben frowns at me.

•••••

Ryan Walker turns his head and his lips move. He's saying something, speaking to someone.

"I wonder who he's talking to," the man whispers to himself, although he can take a few guesses. Possibly Leo, his old friend from college. Or maybe Ryan's best friend Harris, the one who shares the same love for science.

"Destroy his coms," Harper orders. He leans back in his chair and watches with amusement as the fourteen year old in front of them winces and presses his fingers to his ears. Ryan twists his face in anger and shouts something. Harper curses the lack of audio. Software malfunction. He'll fix it next time.

"This has dragged on for too long. Grab the robot and finish your mission."

His minion looks to the sky. Harper pushes himself to the other end of the desk and presses a few buttons. The boy's vitals spike alarmingly. Rueben hasn't been bonded to the robot but a day or so. He isn't strong enough to control the robot from the outside.

Harper has already acknowledged and dismissed this fact. He doesn't care about the boy because, if all else fails, there's another Technopath standing five feet away. There's only one thing Seth Harper wants at the moment.

And that's Leo Mendel dead at his feet.

Then, he'll move onto Ryan and the rest of Mech-X4.

•••••

Blood drips from Rueben's nose. His eyes are blue and he's staring at the sky, almost desperately. I think he's trying to summon the robot. But there's no way he can do that after only two days.

"Rueben, stop it," I try, walking toward him. "I'm trying to help you, please. There's no way you can-"

The ground trembles beneath us and trees crack beside me. The sun has disappeared and a cool shadow has replaced it. Behind me, something groans and the shadow shifts. I don't want to turn around. There's no way he could've done that, not in only _two days_ …

But he has. Mech-X4 stands in all its glory, flattening full grown trees beneath its feet. I wish I could still talk to Harris, maybe tell him to shut the robot down before Rueben can do anything else, but I can't. My ears are still ringing.

Looking back at Rueben, I can see him start to sway. Blood drips from his lip and splatters against the concrete. I rush forward and grab his shoulders, steadying him.

"What's wrong with you?" I whisper. His eyes are slowly falling shut. Nervously, I lay him on the ground. His head rolls to the side as I kneel next to him. "Rueben, hey, stay with me. You gotta stay with me, c'mon, don't close your eyes."

His glasses are gone. I notice after his eyes have fallen shut and I can't wake him up again. Looking around, I spot them laying in the dirt a few feet away.

Quickly, I pull my phone out of my pocket. I dial Harris's number and sit back, watching my brother carefully.

"Ryan!" Harris answers. "Are you okay? Why didn't you answer any of us? How did Mech-X4 move on its own? Did Rueben really figure it out that quickly?"

"Harris, slow down. One thing at a time. Something's wrong with Rueben and I need your help. Get down here now."

I hang up and sigh.

"Crazy week," I mumble.

In the distance, I hear an engine blaring through the city. It startles me for a moment. Being away from everything and surrounded by near silence has almost made me forget where I am. That's one of the things I've always liked about the great outdoors.

The car sounds like it's coming closer. Every time it shifts gears, the engine jumps an octave and I wince. I hate cars like that.

"Ryan," Mark calls. I look over and see the three of them rushing toward me. I push myself out of the way while Harris and Spyder sit next to Rueben. Mark grabs my arm and gives me a once over. "What happened with your earpiece? Are you okay?"

"Rueben took them out, but I'm fine."

Mark chews on his lip, looks down at Rueben, and rubs his face as he sighs. I roll my eyes, "What?"

"Why are we helping him?" Mark asks, looking back at me. "He's trying to kill us!"

"He's trying to kill Leo," I correct.

"You're trying to save a potential murderer."

"He's my brother."

"So, are you saying you'd defend me if I wanted to kill someone?"

I cross my arms over my chest. "Yeah I would, if for a good reason."

That car is closer now. Its engine is louder than a train whistle. My ears already hurt, but now my head is throbbing. I wish it'd just go away.

"Because I wanted to, just like he's doing! You've tried explaining why Leo's not the bad guy and he won't listen. He's insane!"

"He is _not_ ," I snap. "You don't know anything about him!"

"You've only known him a week!"

"That's longer than you!"

Mark clenches his jaw. "You're defending somebody you hardly know. Your only argument is that he's your blood brother which, by the way, could be a lie. He and the people back at the lab could've been lying this whole time just to get to you."

"How would you know, anyways? Whenever I'd try to tell you about any of this, you always had better things to do!"

"Guys, just calm down," Harris tries as he and Spyder join us. "We have bigger problems here."

Mark ignores him. He's angry now. "I'm _so sorry_ my life doesn't revolve around you and the drama that comes with your life. I'm sorry I wanted a break from everything that surrounds this dumb robot and your freak powers!"

My face falls. I open my mouth and close it again. He takes a few deep breaths, his shoulder bouncing as his fury reaches its peak. I feel Harris and Spyder staring at me, but no one says a word.

A familiar feeling clenches in my chest. Suddenly, it's hard to breathe.

That car's engine echoes in my head. I can hear it coming around the corner, getting closer and closer.

I turn my head toward the noise. It's a red car, low to the ground with an open sunroof. That's all I can see of it before the engine cuts abruptly. And then, everything happens in slow motion.

It comes to a sudden halt for a split second. The world is calm for a _split second_.

Then, the shiny red vehicle is air born. The front of it remains put while its body flips forward. Glass shatters and metal crumbles beneath the weight. I feel myself jolt. There are gasps behind me. Someone mumbles some incoherent. The car wobbles on its top and it doesn't take long for the driver inside to shout for help.

I don't even realize the culprit of the incident until I feel the power disappear.

Harris and Mark race past me. Neither glance back as they kneel next to the car. I'm frozen in time, replaying the moment over and over in my head.

The car had sped around the corner at a speed much faster than thirty-five. Whoever was behind the wheel was flying down the road and I…

I look back at Spyder. He's on the phone, probably with 911. Spyder is pacing back and forth, anxiously running his hand through his hair while glancing down at Rueben every time he circles back. Rueben is leaning against his forearms, blinking and looking around. He looks lost.

Finding my footing once more, I walk over to them. Spyder walks away as I kneel next to Rueben.

"What's going on? Where am I?" he asks. "And why does my head hurt?" As he's asking these question, I reach behind me and grab his glasses.

As I clean his glasses, I explain, "You see these people?" I point behind me at Spyder, then to the wreckage at the other end of the street. "They'll help you out, okay? They're good people."

"Wait, where are you going?"

I wipe a smudge from the side of the lens. There's a name carved into material. I hold it closer to my eyes and squint.

Harper Futuristics.

"Do you need these?" I ask, ignoring his question. "I mean, can you see without them?"

"Yeah, I can see fine, but my eye doctor says otherwise."

I drop the glasses on the ground and step on them. Then, I climb to my feet and sigh. "I have something I have to deal with. Stay with them, alright? You'll be okay." Spyder's joined Mark and Harris at the car now. This might be my only chance to run without them catching me.

"Ryan, wait," Rueben says, stopping me in my tracks.

"You know who I am?"

"I know bits and pieces. Listen, you can't run. He'll find you no matter where you go."

"He's _alive_?!"

Rueben nods. "Has been for months, or so he says." He looks toward the wreck. "If you want to get out of here without them knowing, you have to go now."

"You're not going to try and stop me?"

"You don't look like the kind of person that can be stopped."

I look back at my friends and brother once more. Then, I gaze up at the giant robot watching the madness unfold above. There'd be no use taking it with me. If I were to be attacked, I'd be completely defenseless. It's useless without a team.

There's sirens in the distance. Police, ambulances, fire trucks, they're all headed our way.

"I'll be back," I promise, but I don't know if it's to myself or the people I'm leaving behind. "I just have to get away from here for a little bit."

"Don't worry," Rueben says, "I protect your family any way that I can. I have a score to settle with this Seth Harper guy anyways."

I nod. "I'll contact you as soon as I can. Then, I hope you can explain to me just what the heck happened this week."

He laughs nervously. "I think it'll have to be the other way around. I don't remember much. Please be careful, Ryan. Unlike you, I don't have another brother."

"You'll see me soon, don't worry."

We share a small smile and I take off. I race across the flatten terrain and disappear in the forest surrounding the city. Behind me, the rescue team arrives to the scene. I pause and hide behind a tree to watch the action.

A paramedic meets Rueben on the ground. It's a short, petite woman with black hair. She kneels next to Rueben, talking to him and helping him to his feet. The rest rush to the man I injured in his shiny red sports car.

I'm gone before I can see the driver being wheeled away on the stretcher. I don't need to see their injuries to know what I've done.

Since discovering my powers, I've affecting a lot of people. I've hurt some people, too. Maybe they deserved it, maybe they didn't. Either way, I have to get out of here. If what Rueben said was right, Harper will know I've left town. Maybe if I leave, those closest to me will finally get that normal life they've been looking for.

So, I guess I'm on the run now. I won't go far and, like I promised, I'll be back. Someday soon, probably (I'll miss Mom's cooking too much).

Until then, though? I'll be planning and getting stronger because I _will_ come back.

And when I do, I'll put an end to Seth Harper once and for all.

* * *

So as much as it irritates me to have an odd number of chapters, this is the end of the first book.

I think this was kinda leaning toward a sequel anyways. If you read the previous note (chapter?) about the sequel and wondered if I've been making this up as I went, you'd be half right! I've known where I wanted this to go from the first chapter, but I didn't actually intend on a second book. I thought I could tell the whole story in ten chapters or less, but clearly I was wrong lol

But to the part you really want to know about: **The Sequel**

I will try to have the sequel up within the next week or so. Probably not tomorrow cause I'm getting a shot and won't feel like doing anything all day (this might be the first time I can lay around and do nothing and my parents won't get mad). Anyways, thank you to everyone who reviewed and stayed interested in this fic from the beginning! I'm very happily surprised by the support this has gotten and I hope you guys stay with me throughout the sequel :)

Edit: I just saw you can now list characters for the Mech-X4 category! We're moving up in the world, friends! :D


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